


The Monster in my Bed

by wellthizizdeprezzing



Series: Monster Chronicles [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angels AU, Angels and Demons, Demonic Contracts, Demons AU, Destiny, End of the World, F/F, Fighting, Prophecies, corruption of character but not really, falling love, powers, savior role
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2019-06-09 11:50:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 137,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15266910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wellthizizdeprezzing/pseuds/wellthizizdeprezzing
Summary: Emma Swan is tired of the shitty hand in life she has been dealt. Especially regarding abusive foster parents. That's why she foolishly makes a deal with the devil. His name is Regina Mills. But what neither of them expects to find along the way in their quest for vengeance is love. Eventual Swanqueen. Demon Au.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I've fallen down into the deep dark abyss that is the SwanQueen fandom and the only way I can escape is if I write...I swear I always find these good fandoms years later. But anyways, here's an AU story. Consider this story sort of like practice with writing the characters before I delve into more solid works. So constructive thoughts are helpful. Hope y'all enjoy.

**The Monster in my Bed**

**Prologue**

* * *

_Take control, it's now or never- Sick of it, Skillet_

* * *

God.

He couldn't help her.

She'd tried. No, she'd begged, pleaded, kowtow'ed, bent herself out of shape, spent the last bit of air in her lungs as she had laid on the floor, clutching broken ribs, nose streaming, with skin black and blue, and still she had beseeched and implored that higher power. And  _still_  it hadn't been enough. She'd made deals. That she wouldn't eat candy or her favorite food- fries. That she would go to church more often, that she would do more kind deeds for people, but her offers, all that she really could humanely do providing her fragile ten year old body and the societal limitations that came with it, had not been enough to sway him.

So she'd done the only thing she could do; the only option that awaited her. She'd made a deal with the devil. And he had come answering.

After one particularly cruel beating at the hands of her foster father, an illiterate drunk who smelled of piss and cigarettes, she had decided enough was enough. She couldn't stand being powerless. Couldn't stand the bleak future awaiting her. One she didn't ask for. Smearing her whole palm in the blood that had pooled around her head, she made a crude pentagram on the floor. It was something she had seen in the horror films she'd caught a glimpse of her foster father watching. He enjoyed senseless slaughter and the screams of terror of those weak and afraid. Emma didn't understand the pull of such things, but she was on a path to coming to a harsh and cruel understanding.

Than, painfully making her way over to the kitchen for candles, holding her aching sides with one hand, she found the stub of only one and hoped that it would be enough. Shaking limbs helped her down the stairs to the dank cellar called her room. He was gone, out drinking on the stoop, something he always did after he'd stick it to her.

"Don't want you to grow up into a punk," he'd growl at her, toeing a bruise on her stomach with too much pressure. She winced. "Or a slut. I know your type. Blonde bimbos who go running to a man for just a couple dollars."

Emma would never do that. Never. But he never listened to her pleas and eventually they stopped coming to her tongue and she laid there silently as he taught her a lesson.

She hated him.

Hated her life.

Hated all the people around her, blind to his ways, that had never extended a helping hand.

She didn't want to hate, didn't think it healthy for herself to hate. But the emotion was dark and consuming and heady and it felt so good to pour out all her angers and all her failures at life on him.

So she lit the candle, muttered hellish sounding words, and invoked the powers of hell to come get her.

She knew it was something silly she was doing. She knew there was no way it would work. There was no such thing as a higher power; life had proven that people gave and took and nothing could stop them, not even the law much less fictional concepts of deities, from their greediness. And this silly farce of a ritual made her feel better. Made some of the anger in her fade. She fantasized briefly what she could do if it did become true. If it actually worked. She'd punish her foster father for sure. And then...well, she hadn't really planned the rest out well. But money, food, and shelter were something she could use. Because they were all things that didn't come in steady supplies to her.

Her eyes slipped close as she laid down on her back on the wooden and bloodily decorated floor. Images of feasts spread in front of her eyes, as did a nice bed and clothes she could wear without fear of them slipping off of her because of their second hand nature. And maybe school. Yes, she'd go to school. Where she could learn and make friends her age.

"Are you going to lie there long?" A rich, darkly velvet voice filled the air with it's tones.

Emma's eyes snapped open and instantly zeroed on in a new fixture in her shoe box sized room. Sitting on an overturned wooden crate that doubled as Emma's desk and night stand, was a woman. She sat, legs crossed over the other, immaculately dressed in a pencil skirt, black heels, and a shirt and jacket all in the shade of light gray. Her hair was a short brown that trailed down to her jawbone, tips curled up deviously just like her full red lipsticked mouth. Her eyes were dark, so dark in fact, that the pupil seemed to take up all the white.

She had an arched brow, looking down at Emma in amusement. "Who-how-" Emma sputtered out, sitting up quickly, unable to process this. Had her foster father finally fucked up her brain? Had it been one hit too many and now she was hallucinating?

"You called me. So I answered." The woman said this plainly, like it should be apparent.

"Called-?" Emma was still at a loss. The older woman gestured a languid hand at the bloody circle on the floor and the sputtering candle. Emma swallowed dryly as understanding flooded her. She had never expected such a thing to happen- for one of her prayers to go answered. "You're the devil," she said slowly, a mix of fear and awe coursing through her body.

"I prefer to go by the name of Evil Queen. But for human appearances, you may call me Regina."

Emma was still in slight disbelief at her fortune (misfortune?) at actually succeeding in summoning a real life demon. "Are you real?" she couldn't resist from asking.

"I most certainly am," the Evil Queen, or Regina, said a touch haughtily.

"You don't look...like the depictions in horror films."

"Dear, if I showed you my true form you'd shit your pants from fright before promptly dying of a coronary. Besides, the movie's are not at all close to even what we do look like. Our forms are beyond human comprehension." Regina spoke this so assuredly that it sent a shiver down Emma's back. She tried to imagine the most horrid of images and failed. What sight could be so terrifying she'd die?

"But...a businesswoman?"

"I like the look of efficiency." Regina's reply left a lot lacking but Emma let it go, her mind whirling with more pertinent questions.

"And you're here, why?"

"Like I stated previously, you called me. You asked me for help, did you not?"

"I did...but I didn't think it would actually-"

"-work? I'm quite efficient unlike those pesky, lazy, overindulgent angels that God surrounds himself with, like some sort of harem." Disgust filled the Evil Queen's voice.

"So they do exist. Angels. And God?" Emma's ten year old brain was having a hard time keeping up, and the pain in her sore head and body was making it harder for her to focus, making it harder to convince her it wasn't all a part of some dream. Maybe she had fallen asleep on the floor-? But no, she pinched herself and the scene around her did not change.

"Of course they do," Regina snorted contemptuously. "And they wronged you, didn't they?"

Emma nodded her head simply.

"They saw you in pain, they heard your pleas, and yet they refused to do anything to help you. Refused to alleviate the terror of that horrid man the state calls your foster father. They simply watched silently as you suffered, amusing themselves on your plaintive cries." Regina's words were dark, her tone even more and at each word Emma felt a righteous anger fill her.

"That is why I'm here to offer you something that you want." At this Regina hopped off the crate, and stood over Emma. She held out her hand in an offer to help her up and Emma only hesitated a few seconds before latching onto it. The demon's hand was warm and sturdy. Reliable. Regina dropped her head to peer at Emma in keen interest, black eyes boring into Emma's very soul; it was like she could read into her mind, her very wants.

"Power." The single word was a hiss. "You want to be able to take back your life. You want revenge on those who have wronged you. And I can give that to you. You will never again be powerless with me by your side. Do you want that?"

"I do," Emma said resolutely, falling under the willful wiles of the demon. Regina didn't have to try hard to seduce the girl- she was merely a poor child that was frightened and angry and hurting. Those types were always the easiest to get to.

"Then make a deal with me. All you have to do, is sign your soul over to me for a certain amount of time, like a rental, and I'll do anything and everything you want me to." Regina's words were poison, were a sickly sweet promise, and Emma was too young to understand the repercussions of her hasty actions. All she knew was that someone had finally listened to her; had promised to stay by her side.

"You promise you won't leave me?" she asked in a vulnerable voice. Too many people who she had met had left her without a backwards glance.

"I swear to it. You won't  _ever_  be able to get rid of me," Regina's smile was positively evil, her words foreshadowing, but Emma was too blinded by the possibilities of a bright future to notice.

"I agree to the deal."

The ground shook, dust fell from the ceiling. Emma looked around in shock. What had caused that?

Regina paid it no mind, still onto business. Her grin was shark toothed, ivory glowing sickly white in the light.

"Excellent. Now give me your hand."

Emma did as asked and Regina cupped the girl's small hand between the two of hers. "This may hurt a bit, but what is a little bit of pain for so much pleasure." The sensation of warmth tingled at Emma's hand. Then it pricked, and burnt, and smoldered, and she let out cries of pain, biting her bottom lip between teeth to try to hold them in. She had learned young not to cry out loud from pain; it was a weakness, let the bullies know they were doing any damage. Yet this pain was nothing like she had ever felt before. It was like her hand had been stuck between live flames and was being electrocuted at the same time.

Her body jerked and she instinctively tried to wretch her arm free but the demon's hold was tight and she only looked on serenely as Emma's eyes leaked big fat tears. Emma didn't ask the demon to stop it because she'd learned by now that people didn't listen to her when she asked them to stop, and besides, Regina had said a bit of pain was needed.

At long last, what seemed like an eternity, the brunette let go and Emma stumbled back a couple of feet away, examining her hand with rapt wonder. On the back of it was an intricate circle with archaic swoops and swirls. It was a clock of sorts and the minute and hour hand were positioned on the spot where the 12 should be.

"What is this?" Emma asked around her tear laced voice and stuffy nose.

"It's a time keeper. It shows how many more years you have me in your service. Each year is one hour passed. This tattoo also allows you to summon me to wherever you are."

Emma had to say the mark was pretty, all in black ink and glistening with a sort of inner glow. "And when I run out of time, what happens? You go bye bye forever?"

"You could say that," Regina's eyes flashed with hidden secrets but her lips imparted no more.

A slamming of a door upstairs made Emma jolt. That meant her foster father had come back from his drinking and was no doubt going to check up on her if she had learned her lesson. Panic flared in her chest. There was a mess on the floors and she had Regina in the room. "Quick, help me clean this all up."

"Clean the blood up?" Regina asked fake innocently, like this was an absurd concept.

"If he sees this on the floor, than he'll hurt me!" Emma pointed at the floor, waving.

"Emma, who are you talking to?" Heavy steps on the wooden stairs alerted her that it would be too late soon and so zipping up her lips, she stood at attention, hands behind her back, trying to seem the very model of a good child.

He came in a second later, his thin hair mussed up and eyes beady and beard wet where alcohol had fallen. "What is all this? Where did this blood come from? Who is this bitch?" He roared suspiciously.

Regina only smiled surreptitiously. "Emma, I think we should clean the mess up now. Starting with him." A loud choked gasp came from his mouth as his feet came up several feet from the ground. He waved his limbs around fruitlessly, eyes bulging in shock. "Now, Emma, tell me where did he hurt you? Where did he like to hit you the most?"

Regina hadn't even lifted a finger but she was radiating some sort of power. Emma could taste it on the air. It tasted like ozone, smelt like fire, and felt like ants crawling over her skin. Her eyes were wide open in astonishment, in curiosity. So this was the sort of power Regina had and that now Emma had as well. Licking her lips, the blonde pointed at his ribs. "He broke my ribs once."

Her foster father shook his head no in wordless horror.

"You heard the lady. It's what she wants." And with a snap of her fingers, there was a sickening sound from the man. His screams were silenced but his mouth fell open anyways, neck veins popping out with the effort of having his pained cries muffled.

It felt good. Good to see him suffering. Powerless against her.

"Anything else?" Regina turned to look expectantly at Emma.

The blonde gave her a shaky little smile. "His heart. He hurt my feelings too often." She clutched her chest in remembrance, and Regina clutched his and suddenly red spray was everywhere in the air. It coated Emma's cheeks but she couldn't care to wipe it away because a soft laugh was bubbling out of her throat unbidden.

"Do it again," she clapped her hands in childlike glee and the Evil Queen was more than happy to comply.

That night anyone who had failed Emma found life failing them as they fell down in red clouds, chest cavities empty, dying eyes losing the last trace of emotion in them.

That same night Emma finally understood why bullies liked hurting others, why the screams of those weaker were so enticing. It felt good to hold the fate of others lives and their futures in their hands. And now with Regina by her side, Emma was going to make sure no one was master of her fate but herself. She wasn't going to allow anyone to ragdoll her around in life anymore.

She was Emma freaken Swan and she was going to take her life back.


	2. Mischief Maker

**The Monster in my Bed**

**Chapter One: Mischief Maker**

* * *

_Got a heart full of bullets, cause we got good aim/ come lay down beside me, be savaged and tamed- In Flames, Digital Daggers_

_I'm so bored with/This world that spins around me/A little mayhem never hurt anyone/_ _When am I gonna get some- Mayhem, Halestorm_

* * *

Emma stared at the back of her hand. On it the clock hands denoted four pm. Already that much time had passed since she had first made a deal with Regina. And over those years so many things had changed in her life. So many things for the better. Just like Regina promised, Emma was never without power. Emma could take and she could give. She could bend and break the rules and no one could do anything to stop her.

Of course, she wasn't stupid enough to go about brazenly flouting that power. She had learned the hard way that too much reckless action could bring her more trouble than good. Thankfully, Regina was there to help Emma figure out how to navigate the nuances of demonic contracts. The demon was very well put together and organized and often times Emma thought of her more like a really helpful friend than a parasite leeching off of her soul. For she had figured out that when these 12 years of power were over, she'd lose her soul to Regina. Which probably meant death.

Not that Emma cared.

She had learned to be indifferent to a lot of things. Having a demon as a friend had seen to her being desensitized to things like pain, murder, and even the simpler pleasures of life. Because she had done all of those things and more. After her foster father's brutal and unsolved murder in which his heart had been ripped out, (along with other seemingly unconnected and random murders of the same nature- the cops never would figure out what had happened thanks to a little confusion magic on Regina's part, unable to find the common link of Emma having known all of them) Emma and Regina had walked out of the house hand in hand, set to conquer Emma's future unobstructed.

Emma had gotten an extremely awesome mansion courtesy of the demon's searching of real estate (the young blonde ignored the fresh corpses of the previous owners staining the rug when Regina first showed her in). The demon fed her extravagant meals, Emma's favorite so far being Regina's lasagna. There was no need for Emma to even ask for money when she'd simply tell the demon to fetch her something and she'd have it in an instant, Regina poofing away and back with the object. Emma had found that novel at first, testing the limits of what Regina could do by asking insane and silly demands. It had ended when Regina stole the Eiffel tower and placed it in the mansion's backyard. Then Emma knew that Regina could safely get her whatever it was she wanted.

Emma had the tower quickly returned when it started to cause quite a stir in France and she didn't want people finding her in her new safe haven.

She spent most of her days at the mansion. Everything that she needed was there anyways. She had a pool, an amusement park, a library, a carnival and more. When she got bored with a toy or activity she'd have Regina swap it out with a new one, and the demon woman never complained. She spoiled Emma like she was her child. And in the case of school, she was. If Emma wanted to go to school, she had to have some sort of documents forged, and a parent to take care of her. Regina handled all that, and was always the model of a proper parent when she came to pick up Emma, or when she came to parent teacher conferences. She even made apple pies for the school events.

Emma quickly found herself making friends in school, for those who crossed her found themselves even more quickly growing warts or losing things. She'd invite her friends to her mansion and they'd all play her games, and eat her food, and laugh and laugh. But those were only false friendships. They only wanted to be her friend for the perks that came with it. And she heard all this one day while she had been using the bathroom stall. Her friends had come in and gossiped about her and it hurt. It hurt that they spoke such truths.

They didn't deserve to have hearts if they weren't using them to be compassionate people.

That same night seven little girls were found missing their hearts, chests ripped open while they had peacefully slumbered.

After that, Emma stopped bothering with school, and with friends. Who needed them anyways? All that mattered was that she had her demon.

"You would never betray me, would you?" she asked one night as she had laid in bed, the hands on her clock tattoos hovering between three and four as her birthday hour neared. Regina was planning a birthday bash for her, one on a beach somewhere. It was to be a simple event, only her and the demon.

Regina, who was lying on the covers next to her in her business attire, a respectful distance away, turned her head to look at Emma. "Never. Not as long as you carry my mark." The promise drifted in the ear, soothed Emma's aching heart, and let her fall to sleep.

Yes, in this terrible world, Emma could only count on herself and Regina.

Emma flexed her wrist, the tattoo bulging as her veins became more pronounced. Regina would be loyal to her, as long as the mark existed. After that...life would be pointless. She'd have no power, no soul, and no one to be by her side. She hoped Regina would kill her. Maybe that could be her last order before Regina did whatever it was she did when her contract ended.

A sharp click clack of heels brought Emma's attention to the fact Regina had returned, carrying two trays of food for them. She set them down on the table, before sitting right in front of Emma. She looked the same as always. She hadn't aged a day and not a single hair was out of place; the picture image of perfection. Her black shirt and white slacks were neatly pressed as always. Emma still didn't understand why a demon would wear such clothing. To look more human? To blend in? If so she was going about it the wrong way. A lot of people paid her notice and not of the healthy type. Emma would catch their longing stares. If Regina noticed than she never spoke about it, or even cared. She was loyal to only Emma's attentions.

"I don't understand why you insist on eating this garbage," Regina wrinkled her nose up at the hamburger Emma had forced her to get. "It's going to kill you faster than my contract with you will." Another thing about this demon was that her sense of humor was different than what Emma would have expected of a demon. Yes, she was morbid, but she teased Emma mercilessly and in a friendly almost affectionate manner, and Emma made clever retorts back at her. Or ordered her to do something against her will when she couldn't think of one, like in this case.

"Shut up, and eat your food."

And because Regina couldn't disobey, she stuffed a bit of the burger into her mouth, glaring angrily at the blonde woman before her.

"One of these days I'll convince you to like this food."

"That will be the day hell freezes over," Regina cut back, chewing angrily and with distaste.

"Could it? What's hell even like?" Emma asked curiously, dipping her fries in ketchup.

"Unpleasant. You wouldn't want to know."

"Try me." Regina was usually reticent about questions dealing with her own life and Emma would for once like to have a conversation that didn't revolve only about herself. She hadn't minded so much as a child, but she was almost an adult now, and she yearned for more fulfilling and constructive conversation.

Regina debated with something inside herself and Emma arched a brow ( a move she'd adopted from the brunette ), urging her to hurry up before she spelled her to follow the order. Emma would rather Regina be forthcoming herself- having all this power got tiring and boring after a while. The blonde found it more of a reward to do things the old fashioned way, to have people give her something of their own free will. But if they took too long, she'd lose patience and order it to happen anyways. Why suffer the wait like normal people when she had power.

"We live in houses made of shit, and our sun is made of a tangled mass of limbs and heads that are constantly on fire and screaming loudly in agony."

"Wow." Emma was glad she was accustomed to gore or else she could have lost her appetite. "Why the hell are your houses made of shit? Doesn't it stink?"

"You're not shocked by the concept of a sun we have? I figured you would want to know how it is even possible."

Emma shook her head. "No, there's probably too much magical mumbo jumbo there for my puny human brain to get. But shit, I understand  _shit_."

Regina tried hard not to roll her eyes, a thing that she was commonly apt to do when in Emma's presence. "Of course, base things would feed your interests. And houses are made of shit there, because it's  _hell_." She gave a shrug of her shoulders.

"That's it? That's the only reason?" Emma finished off her fries and began to unwrap her burger. "Now I can get why you wanted to get the  _hell_  out of there. The houses here are much nicer."

Regina had to suppress a long suffering sigh at Emma's little pun.

When they finished dinner, they walked all the way back to a red Lambo that Regina had procured for Emma. The blonde found racing at top speeds down city streets to be exhilarating. And if she totaled the car or her body, she knew Regina would be on that mess in a second and Emma would be raring to go once more. Emma had come close to death several times. Once or twice had been as a result of her own stupidity and lack of foresight. The other threes times were because she was simply reckless with her life. There was a sort of high, a sort of untouchable invulnerability at coming so close to blacking out forever only to come back to full health so many times. It was frankly addictive, more so than any drug that Emma had tried, and she had tried many if not all.

"Any grand plans for what you would have me do next?" Regina asked as the two of them clambered into the car, Emma behind the wheel. Emma got a couple stares, no doubt out of incredulity. She had just come out of a fast food restaurant and she was wearing a thin tank and ripped jeans and yet she had a Lambo. It begged the question of how she got it.

"I'm not certain," Emma said, peeling out from the parking lot. The years had changed her. Where she had been bitter as a child at not being able to have anything she wanted, now she was bitter because she had it all, and the world sort of lost it's meaning to her. She was bored. She didn't know what else to do. She was sure she'd touched upon all the things humanely possible. Murder, theft, drug use, money laundering, owning lots of property. She had started off with the deep seated need to hurt others for the pain they had caused her and she'd done that, had sent Regina on them. But she knew now that no one could really hurt her ever again and there was no need to preemptively strike at them. So she'd moved her attentions to other things and now those things were losing their spark in her eyes also.

As they hurled down the road at break neck speed, she raced past that one sign she had been seeing up for a while. It was one advertising a new movie. A movie about an outlaw who hunted down other outlaws. On impulse, Emma stopped the car and pulled into the movie theater parking lot.

Regina glanced over at her, Emma's sudden impulses nothing new to her. "What now?"

"We're watching a movie. I think I might have an idea."

* * *

As Emma finished fastening the gun into the belt under her leather jacket, Regina stood and watched her. It was hard to tell if she was disapproving.

"Is looking like a fashion wreck, part of your plan?" Her tone of voice clearly confirmed she was.

"What's wrong with this?" Emma pointed at her red jacket.

"It looks terrible. It's garish and it hurts my eyes."

"Don't overexaggerate. I think it looks badass," Emma smirked as she looked in her mirror, appreciating her lean figure. She'd gotten it through working out hard at the gym. There was some satisfaction about getting this bod through her own means rather than have Regina magic her some muscles. Black pants hugged Emma's legs tightly like they were glued to her skin, as did the simple shirt underneath the jacket, hinting at the muscle hidden.

"You can afford any kind of leather jacket you want and you go with that?"

"It was very expensive," Emma snapped back. She totally did not need this demon ruining her vibe.

"That does not matter-that's not the point. The point is, it's terrible."

Emma glanced at Regina's twisted up lips and a smirk slowly grew on her lips. "I think you're a fan. If you wanted to wear it so badly, you only had to ask." At that she shrugged the jacket off and placed it on Regina who froze in horror.

"Remove this terror from me at once!" She looked like a cat who very much did not want to be wearing clothes yet it's owners had insisted on putting some on it. Emma wondered if the woman would be unable to walk like the cats were, taking a step or two forward before tipping over and refusing to move. She certainly was bristling and hissing like one.

"Nope. I think you're going to wear it, and don't you dare even try to destroy it, or lose it."

That effectively cut off any attempts Regina could make on it. "You are despicable."

"Sure, miss demon. You live in a house made of shit in hell.  _That's_  despicable."

"All demons do!"

Emma merely chuckled and pulled on the cowboy hat she had also purchased. "We ready to go out and catch some bad guys?"

After watching that outlaw movies, Emma had been inspired to do some bounty hunting of her own. Why not put bad guys in jail? It'd be fun and something she hadn't done yet.

And it wasn't at all related to trying to make up for the crimes she had committed. She felt no remorse for that. She had power and she had only done what those with power did- abuse it, and hurt anyone who got in their way. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. So this bounty hunting gig was only for fun, and only because she knew she could do things the cops couldn't when chasing these bad guys down.

Regina let out a heavy sigh. It wasn't like she could say no to Emma's orders. "Of course."

Emma arched a brow and tsked.

Regina sighed again. "Of course,  _Sheriff,_ " she corrected.

"Right, deputy. Ready the horses." Emma strolled out confidently, Regina right behind her. As soon as the two of them passed the doorway, purple smoke curled out of the open door and a bright flash erupted. They were both gone.

When they reappeared they were out somewhere in the deserts of Las Vegas, each on their own horse, slowly making their way over to a smudge on the horizon. Emma unfurled a piece of paper she had in her pocket. She'd done some research on some criminals before she got her little outfit together. Well, more correctly, she had Regina do the research for her. The guys they were going after were seriously wanted by both the state and government for stealing from federal banks over three millions worth of dollars. If Emma took them in, she'd make so much money off of their capture. Not that she needed the money, it was more about the satisfaction and thrill of the chase.

Already an excited grin was stretching her lips wide, but she willed herself to be patient, instead chatting up with Regina about the weather in a fake southern accent.

"Mighty fine sun we're having today," she tipped her hat at Regina expectantly. The demon snorted. "I'm not going to continue engaging you in your little fantasy role-play. It's already demeaning enough you've made me wear this monstrosity!" She really did not like that red jacket, which made Emma like it all the more.

"Oh, but I think you will, deputy," Emma cracked a smile. "Let me hear that Southern accent."

"Howdy partna', you ready to wrassle up some criminals?" Regina said, her mouth twisting up with so much displeasure at this order, it looked like she had just sucked a lemon.

Emma let out a laugh. "That's funny. I wanna hear you try an English accent now."

"Having a spot of fun at my expanse, are you?" Regina accused and gave Emma as hard a glare as she could, willing her to stop this. But Emma was having too much fun. She continued to make the demon do funny little stereotypical accents until the campsite where the four criminals were hiding out drew very close. Emma quieted down, not wanting to alert the men to her presence. Unfortunately that was hard to do, as there was a look out, and he whistled sharply, the other three tumbling out from their shared tent, guns in hands. The look out pumped his shot gun and pointed it threateningly at Emma and Regina. He eyed their strange get up warily. Their horses came to a stop a few feet away from the men.

"Who are you?" he growled out, his friends behind him, eyes hard and wary.

"I'm the sheriff. And this is my deputy." Emma gestured at Regina, the guns of the men following her hand motion in case she made a move.

"Sheriff?"

"Yea, Sheriff of ass kicking," Emma confirmed, grinning widely, and slid off her horse in one smooth motion.

The men took three steps back. "Don't move any closer," warned the man with the scar down his cheek. Derek, Milo, Henrick, and Damien, Emma went over their names as her eyes bounced back and forth from the men present. Derek was the look out, Milo the scarred man, Henrick the short one, and Damien the tall gangly one who badly needed a shave.

Emma didn't falter at their threat, just placed her hands on her hips. "Come on, don't tell me you're seriously scared of a fourteen year old girl?"

"I don't know who she is, or what she wants, but let's kill her," Milo barked out.

"We can't risk the money we've got. She could report us," Damien added.

"Get the deputy too. Who knows who their working for," Henrick pointed out.

"I'm right here," Emma pouted. "No need to talk about me like I'm not." She turned to Regina, leaving herself completely unguarded to the men's weapons. "How rude."

"What did you expect, they are criminals," Regina said, still stuck in her Russian accent. The men looked a bit confused at that given Emma's southern accent, before Emma waved a hand dismissively. "You can talk normally again."

Regina muttered a low, 'thank Satan'. Sometimes Emma's childish wills were more tortuous than any torment Regina had to endure in hell.

"Stop stalling and just shoot her already Derek," Milo hissed.

"Why do  _I_  always have to be the one to kill people?" the man shot back. "Why can't you do it for once? Or what, too good to get your hands dirty?"

"Oh-"

"Would you two cut it out. I'm tired of your shit. Arguing like little kids for fuck sake. Here's how a man does it." Damien edged out of the rest of the group and using his handgun fired two rounds right into Emma's chest who was knocked to the ground, before directing his bullets at Regina. She toppled off of the horse after one hit, the beast whining in distress and running off, kicking dust over her prone form. Both women lay in the dirt, still.

"That's how it's done," Damien said triumphantly, turning to face his comrades. "Now we got to move camp. We can't take the risk that they told someone else our location. Or that they have reinforcements coming."

But his friends sun beat faces had paled drastically.

"You might want to reevaluate your work, man," Derek pointed behind Damien who turned and saw Emma was getting up, patting dust off of her pants. There was no hole where she had been shot, the bullets lying by her feet.

"What the fuck-?" he gasped out.

She shot him a cocky grin, flipping a hand dismissively. "You missed. At point blank range. But it's okay. Happens to the best and worst of us-"

Five consecutive shots rang out, this time from Henrick. Emma's body twitched and jerked, arms windmilling as she stumbled back dramatically, getting hit several times before doubling over, breathing hard.

There was silence as the men waited to see what would happen. But when she straightened back out, she shook her hands out. "Ta-da! No wounds! Zero deaths!" And indeed, she was wound free. This time all the men fired at her, unease filling their bones as they wordlessly united their fire power.

How the fuck was she managing to stay alive? Was she some kind of monster?

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Emma cried out in fake pain, not even pretending she was being affected. She clutched at where the bullets hit her before bouncing right off. "You guys need to stop! It's tickling me!"

They ceased firing at once, the bullet cases landing on the sand and surrounding their feet.

"How is this possible?" Derek mumbled out. He was gripped in a cold sweat, a trickle of it going down his brow.

"She has to be a hallucination. We have to be hallucinating. It's a freaken desert, man," Milo answered.

"You telling me we just wasted ammo on something that's not even here?" Derek gave an angry roar.

"Aww guys, come on. Don't fight each other. Fight  _us._ " Emma whined.

"Us?" Henrick looked over to where the brunette should have been but her body was gone. The hairs on the back of his neck rose.

"Yes. Because  _we're_  very real," a low voice growled and all four men turned to see Regina standing behind them, looking very much alive and put out that she got sand all over her.

Four blood curling screams pierced the air, followed by the sounds of gun fire. One by one they died down as Regina made quick work of them. The last man pissed his pants as he watched his comrades felled in front of him by nothing but a hand to the chest as the invincible woman walked calmly towards their fray of bullets, not even blinking as she was pelted, the useless metal bouncing off of her like she was stone.

"Please, I'll gi-ive you the money. Just let me live!" he begged but Regina's eyes were pitch black and he knew he shouldn't expect any mercy. "W-what are you?" he blubbered out, dropping to his knees. She towered over him, lip corner quirked up. "A zombie?"

"Just the local deputy," she concluded and reached into his chest, pulling out the plug on his life.

Done, she approached Emma, wiping her hands off on the red leather jacket she had worn. Emma had a pout on her lips, hands on hips. "You let them shoot my jacket on purpose, didn't you?" she fingered the hole in the jacket's side where Damien's shot had first got Regina.

Regina smiled innocently. "I don't know what you mean."

Emma sighed softly. "You better fix it. And fix this," she gestured to the dead men. "We were supposed to bring them in. Instead, you killed them all, after stealing the show."

Regina snorted before rolling her eyes. "You were taking your sweet time with this whole procedure. I didn't want to spend any more time out in this horrid sun. It doesn't bond well for my Calvin Klein shirt. It'll fade the blue out of it." She gestured to the blue shirt she wore underneath the leather jacket.

"It already has a bullet hole in it. I don't see what the big deal is!" Emma threw her hands up.

"Heathen. No appreciation for fine clothing," Regina mumbled under her breath as she got to work on cramming the dead criminals hearts back into their bodies painfully, taking her frustrations with Emma out on them.

They came back alive with loud gasps, disorientated looks on their faces. "What's going on? Am I in heaven?" Derek mumbled out in a hoarse voice.

"Not likely," Regina muttered out. "You're only alive because the Sheriff decreed it so. Now, kindly shut up or I will rip your tongue out through your mouth."

Once they were all awake, Henrick waking up with a scream on his lips, they were all tied up and dragged behind Emma's horse as they rode to the nearest town. Regina didn't bother conjuring up another horse for herself. She had already extended a lot of magic today. That spell she used to keep Emma invulnerable to bullets took a lot of energy to conceive. Emma insisted on using it because it looked cool but she utterly had no consideration for how draining it was. Regina may be a high level demon, but being such a potent magical being meant just existing ate up at her magic stores. Great magic spells paired with this made her tired and extra cranky.

So she sat behind Emma, arms around her waist and let the blonde steer them in the direction they needed to go. The men's screams were deliciously pained behind them, and their creative curse words were amusing to listen to as the sand and brush scrapped their skin raw, so Regina let those sounds soothe her and help her relax after her exertion.

"What are we going to do after this?" she inquired.

A mischievous grin spread on Emma's face. "We're going to hand them in, and then go find that money they've no doubt buried somewhere in the desert. And then, we're going to use that money to fuel some drug wars between gangs. And to buy some popcorn to eat while we watch it all go down. I want the extra buttery kind."

"How deliciously evil," Regina purred her approval. She loved how corrupted she'd made the little human. It hadn't even been that hard. Corruption of something good and pure never was.

And Emma Swan had once had the purest soul in all the world, which had only made her superbly corruptible.

Regina only wondered in what other ways she could continue corrupting the blonde. She had eight more years to figure that out; she wasn't in a rush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm going to try and make a couple of plot points from the show appear in this story. Hopefully it will work out smoothly. Already got bailsbondperson/bountyhunter out of the way.


	3. Things get Hard

 

_You gon make me commit murder/ Baby I'd kill for you/ So you can count on me to always be there- Kill for You Skylar Grey_

* * *

An explosion rocked the warehouse that Emma and Regina currently were in. They weren't the only ones there. The blonde and her demon had been traveling over the whole US, hunting down the most wanted people in the country. Some of them were a joke, too willing to give up the fight for freedom. Others posed more of a hazard, like this man right here. He was a crazy looking blonde haired man, eyes perpetually wide in face of his own madness. By his side was a brown haired man, smartly dressed up in sweater. He looked like a preppy boy that was studying at Yale, while his companion looked like a meth head living under a bridge, wearing too many robes for it to be hygienic.

"Come on Barney, give up." Emma strolled into the vast space of the warehouse, hands on hips, confident. Regina was right by her side, face impassive but radiating some aura of worry. Spending so many years in close contact, just the two of them by each others side over countless miles, meant they had gotten good at reading each others faces. Well, Regina had. She always could tell what mood Emma was in, and what buttons to press to get her into some other mood. Emma still had a long way to go with reading Regina, but she was getting there. So she could tell the demon was discomforted just by the buzz her magic gave off. Regina was constantly buzzing with magic, it was like a low hum in the back of Emma's mind. She could ignore it if she wanted to or tune in at any time and hear it. When she had asked Regina if this was normal, the demon's eyes had widened slightly in surprise but she'd only simply said that it must be an effect of their contract.

This was why Emma could tell Regina was uneasy- there was a sharp spike in the noise of her magic, it screeching almost painfully in Emma's ear. The blonde winced and pressed a finger to her ear, luckily the noise dying down in intensity but remaining a wavering hum unable to return to being a background sound. That was odd, but Emma was too busy on maintaining a 'badass image' and on capturing the two men to think it over.

"Nobodies going to take your evil plans seriously anyways. Might as well cut out the shit and give up easily. Stick to your day job as a children's show dinosaur," Emma could not resist letting that little out. She found it a bit funny that she was currently chasing a man that shared his name with a fictional character. Of course he and this man had nothing in common besides that, because this Barney here was a disgusting piece of shit.

"Same goes for you buddy," she tipped her head at the gent in nice clothes whose face was also impassive. She'd lost her cowboy hat ages ago, deciding a cap and black clothing were more practical and useful for chase scenes, and slinking in the shadows of the night.

"Fuck you!" Barney spat, saliva dripping down from his lips. "It's woman like you that have made this world shit. All women deserve to die!"

"Sounds like someone got rejected on dates one too many times," Emma shook her head. She'd read up a bit on Barney- he was a serial killer on the run for murdering woman. How he even managed to lure them to his house in the first place while looking like that, didn't add up. Maybe it was his hot colleague that helped him out with it.

"Daniel, kill those bitches!" he screeched from his bed on the blankets on the floor, rising to his feet and fumbling with pulling up his pants. They had caught him in the middle of, uhm, well  _you know_. With Daniel just watching there. What a bunch of weirdos.

"Gladly." And then Daniel's hands lit up.

"Whoa, what the fuck-" Emma didn't get to finish her befuddled statement before Regina was pushing her out of the way as hot flames licked at their backs. She hit the ground hard. "Regina, what-"

"He's got a demon."

"A demon?" Two and two flashed in Emma's head. "Oh fuck!" Now she understood why he had been able to lure those girls in easily. But what she didn't get was- "If he had a demon, couldn't he just ask him to get him a girlfriend? It would be so much easier than just murdering a bunch of woman because of being rejected."

"Emma, focus!" Regina hissed, as she pulled Emma back up and pushed the both of them behind a pillar. More fireballs went flying through the air, colliding against the back of their cover. "We need to get out of here."

"Are you kidding?" Emma eyed the demon next to her, who looked almost panicked, some odd expression on her face. Her magic was vibrating harshly against Emma's skin, making her flesh itch uncomfortably. "You're a fucking demon. Just use your magic on him."

Regina almost seemed reluctant in drawing to a conclusion on this matter. "I will. But...you're here and I don't want you to get hurt before that-"

"Then kill him before it gets to that point, or better yet-" Emma pulled out the gun tucked into her waistband and making use of the gap between fireballs being thrown at her, ducked out, firing off a quick succession of rounds at Daniel. "-I'll kill him for you." The man stumbled back as his body absorbed metal, but did not fall. Emma's gun clicked empty. "Well, shit." She muttered as she watched him straighten up and crack his neck before his hands lit back up.

"Fry them alive! I'm in the mood for some roasted bitches!" Barney screamed, hopping from one foot to the other gleefully.

"Disgusting," Emma's face blanched at the thought of him consuming human flesh. That was one thing even she hadn't done on her demon induced power trip. It was just something so inhumane and utterly unforgivable that she knew she'd have to have him killed for that. Screw turning him into the cops.

An angry hand snatched her back violently behind the column again. "Are you stupid! Why would you face a demon with only a  _gun_?"

"I wasn't going to stand around and do nothing, which is something  _you're_  doing. Go fight him, but give me a shit ton more guns too," Emma ordered and Regina's eyes flashed as the magic of order sunk in, constraining her to follow Emma's orders. With a snap of her fingers, Emma was weighted down with guns, several automatic and a couple of pistols and rifles, all slung around her shoulders.

"That's better," she hollered and charged out, Regina at her heels. "Show that demon and Barney why they call you the Evil Queen!"

A blast of pure magic radiated out from Regina, Daniel grabbing Barney and jumping up smoothly into the air to avoid it. He landed up on a rafter and with Barney tucked in under one arm, he used his other arm as a flame canon.

Emma ducked to the side as the floor underneath her turned to molten lava, Regina diving the other way. Purple smoke conjured from her fingers and the ball of magic she threw at Daniel ruptured the rafter he was on. As he fell he twisted and weaved against the barrage of bullets from Emma's guns. How was he so damn agile?

He landed softly on the floor, erecting a blue shield around himself and his master.

"Tear that shield down!" Emma commanded.

Regina's eyes shone red and her hands began to move fast and furiously as she muttered something under her breath. Daniel grimaced, putting his hands up as if he could physically uphold the shield. Regina was the stronger demon in this. Cracks and fissures appeared and with a crunching noise, the defenses were down, erupting into small specks of dust that floated almost peacefully in the air before bullets cut through the beauty.

Emma had taken this opening to aim a few more rounds of lead at them. Daniel stood out bravely in front of his master, arms out like a martyr, absorbing the bullets.

"The blonde has a fucking demon too!" Barney raged as he sniveled behind his demon. "Give me some weapons so I can take her on too! And when I'm done killing her, I want you to be done with her brunette bitch!"

Daniel nodded his head, face solemn and impassive even as his eyeballs were blasted out.

"How is he still alive?" Emma roared in frustration, lowering her two steaming AK-47's, her arms burning from the strain of firing them continuously.

"He's a demon. How many more times must I repeat that. Bullets won't kill him. Magic can." There was a ball of magic molding between her hands; it looked nasty. Bruise colored and humming angrily. She took Emma's pause in attack to launch her own. Daniel, despite his bullet riddled and stringy looking legs, ducked out of the way at the last moment, dragging a now armed Barney with him. The ball erupted with a tremendous backlash of wind and noise. Emma narrowed her eyes at the gust of wind, Regina stepping in front of her to cover up the stray debris the blast had ensued. The effect of it seemed to go on forever, and when it all died down, Emma was left with ringing ears.

"If that fucker hadn't dodged, he'd be more than just dead right now."

Emma could barely make out Regina's frustrated growl. Her eyes zoned in on Daniel and Barney who were now moving out of where they had been in hiding. The spot where they had stood previously was reduced to a huge crater, steaming and covered in black ooze.

"Hey, blonde bitch, come get me!" Barney taunted and than ran up the stairs to the second floor of the abandoned warehouse.

"You bet I will," she grumbled under her breath and tore after him.

"Just me and you," Daniel said as he strode closer to Regina. His bullet holes were closing up rapidly; bullets dropping out of his skin like rain, clattering softly to the ground.

Regina shook her head sadly. "I cannot believe you chose to make a contract with such a sick man." When making contracts it was best for a demon to select pure souls, not yet tainted, so that they could be corrupted-it was the demon's job to do that and if they could not then they were a failure; they did not deserve the soul. Souls of those who were already vile had little worth because there was no reason to ruin them anymore. Regina had struck gold with Emma's soul, and Daniel had struck coal with his choice.

Daniel shrugged. "He was the one who called for my services."

"You could have refused. This isn't like you. You were...better than this." Memories of the past flashed behind Regina's eyes. They had been something once. But then her mother had torn them apart once she found out Regina had been dating such a low level demon.

"That was before your mother exiled me from hell. I have no choice but to make due with the scraps I've been given. I need to make a living somehow." He looked slightly apologetic at this, but not enough. Not enough to repent this deal he had made.

"I could have helped you. You knew I would have if you had only asked me. I loved you." They had been in love, as much as beings such as them could be. But before it could blossom into anything more, Cora had torn it apart, leaving bleeding hearts in her wake. And now centuries had passed, without hearing word from him and her love had waned for she had told herself he was dead and there was weakness in mourning and still loving the dead.

And now...he had been alive all this time, and she would be forced to kill him. Their reunion, something she had dreamed of for years, about to be brief and deathly. And it was all because of Emma's order. But Regina could not fault the girl. She did not know the true magnitude of the implications of her demand and who Daniel is- once  _was_.

The rapid fire of guns blazing interspersed their conversation along with the maniacal laughter of that idiotic man Barney.

"That's right bitch, you can't get me. Because I'm a man! And you're a puny little woman!"

"I have a name. It's Emma."

"The only time I'm going to use your name is on your tombstone, bitch!"

"I loved you too," Daniel said softly but all Regina could see when she looked into his eyes was blank emptiness. "But that was before your mother took my heart."

A demon could live without it's heart unlike a human. Yet, it wasn't a real life. The demon was a shell of it's former self. It didn't have as much power either.

"Still, I will give you the choice, turn tail now and I will be able to spare my master's orders from being executed on you."

A generous offer but Regina knew better than to trust a demon, especially one under a contract. "I know you can't do that."

He gave her a wry smile. "I wish I could. I don't want to hurt you. I really don't."

"And neither do I want to hurt you, but I need to protect Emma's life by all means." A brief expression of sadness entered her face before it was wiped away. What she and Daniel had once had had been important, but she couldn't jeopardize this over Emma's safety. To her, the blonde's life was more important than anything else right now, even a past lover. Because once she reached the end of her contract with Emma, so many possibilities would be opened up to her. She'd be the most powerful, most valuable, demon alive. Emma's soul literally held the key to a changed future, not that the blonde had any clue of it. Nor would she ever find out if Regina had her way.

"She's important to you," Daniel registered and it was hard to tell if he felt anything anymore, other than urgency to fulfill his master's order.

"You have no idea how much. She's part of something grand, something that will change this world and all with it." Regina couldn't say more than that, but Daniel got it.

"And now I'm in the way unwittingly." Daniel took a step forward, than another. "Do you love her?" His question was innocent, no malice behind it.

Regina was quiet a while before she shook her head softly. "I'm just doing business."

* * *

Upstairs, Emma wasn't having as much fun as she thought she would with capping Barney. The man was a whirlwind of bullets and his actions were too unpredictable for her to leave the safety of her cover. She hugged her gun as another barrage of metal slammed into the stone wall she was behind. He wasn't giving her any pause between his attacks for her to shoot back at him!

It might be kinda her fault for that- she had been singing the Barney theme song with her own twist at him to annoy him.

"I hate you, you hate me, I'm trying to kill Barney. With a great big kick and a bullet from me to you, why won't you just give up fool!"

"Shut up you annoying bitch!"

"Make me!"

She only hoped Regina was having more fun. But given the wild spikes of magic that Emma felt through her connection with the demon, she was under some serious duress. Her magic pulsated angrily through Emma's body, making her gasp out as pain stabbed at her, distracting her from her current mission. What could be causing this? She could hear explosions and feel the tremors of magic being set off on the floor below. Was Regina hurt?

Emma focused her mind back to her own task at hand. Regina could handle herself.

There was an unexpected lull in Barney's attacks and Emma held her breath as she waited for the attack waves to come back at any second. But when they didn't, she tentatively poked her head out and saw that something round and green was rolling towards her.

Her eyebrows shot up.

It was a grenade.

Unpinned.

She scrambled to her feet and doing the only thing she knew that would save her life-she didn't want to risk staying put and being torn to pieces (she was certain Regina's powers couldn't even fix her up from such a state)- she jumped out the window next to her and not a moment too soon. The ensuing explosion aided her, throwing her out at breakneck speeds.

She didn't scream as the cement rushed up to greet her.

* * *

Emma woke up on a bed, stained with her blood. A blurred shape was in front of her, and she concentrated on focusing it, Regina's face finally clarifying after a good minute of effort.

"Regina...?" she croaked out, her voice dry.

"You are an idiot," the demon hissed down at her, hands busy with something on Emma's body. It was making sharp spikes of pain erupt in her torso and she winced before speaking again.

"What happened-"

"I can't believe you ordered me to let you stay. You could have died!"

Emma was surprised by the vitriol in the demon's words. It wasn't a big deal. Regina was there and she would patch Emma up no matter her injuries, just like she was doing now. So then why was the slant of her shoulder so sharp and why was her face making such dark expressions?

"But I didn't. So chillax," Emma shrugged uncaring, and regretted it when more pain laced her body.

"Don't tell me to 'chillax', Ms. Swan," Regina growled, stopping her work to glare down at the blonde. Yup, Regina was definitely upset if she was giving Emma the last name treatment. Her magical noise was all over the place, but it wasn't as violent as before. It was more a prickling sensation all over Emma's body. Or maybe that was just the glass in her wounds.

"Sorry?" she apologized, feeling more confused than apologetic in this moment. "But I really wanted to take that asshole down myself. He was saying all this sexist bullshit. I wouldn't hear more of it."

"Well, than you'll be glad to hear that he's dead as is his demon...Daniel." There was a slight pause as Regina said his name. Emma was curious. Did the demons know each other prior? And holy shit, there were other demons?

This was something that was obvious, and should have been obvious, but it had yet never crossed Emma's mind until now. "So...there's other...demons in this world?" Emma suppressed a hiss as Regina's magic began to slowly pull glass out of her torso. Smashing through a window was no fun despite how cool it must have looked. Normally it would have killed the person who did it too, given that she had been launched through it at sixty miles per hour and fallen down three stories onto hard concrete, but she had survived with only mild bruising on her head. Guess it was true what they said about stubborn people being hard headed.

"Yes." Regina was focusing too intently on the glass to pay much attention to conversation right now. Glass was a delicate thing only because it shattered and broke easily and she didn't want to leave any stuck in Emma's skin.

"And...do they all have contracts like the one...between us?" Emma panted, clenching her teeth together. Shit fuck. This hurt a lot. She didn't look down not wanting to see the red mess her flesh must be, just kept her shirt lifted up so Regina could do her work. There was stinging in Emma's arms that told her she also would have to have some work done there, clear shards embedded into her skin.

"Yes."

"Wonder...what a poor bastard like him would have...wanted with a shit bag like Barney. Bet his soul won't even be as tasty as mine," Emma's smirk was cut off as she nearly bit her tongue as Regina pulled out a long piece. "For FUCK'S SAKE! Could you give me some sort of warning?"

Regina arched a brow and held up the long jagged bloody piece between two fingers. "Or, you could stop being a baby and deal with this like an adult. If not, I will be inclined to shove this right back where I took it from."

Emma shut her mouth at the demon's threats and let her work on it. But she didn't remain silent for long. "Is this pay back for making you wear the red leather jacket on every bounty hunting mission?"

Regina yanked hard on a shard.

"Mother FUCK-!" Emma hissed as tears came to her eyes. "Fine, you don't have to wear the damn jacket anymore. Just, numb some of this fucking pain!"

Regina's lips twisted up as she got what she wanted and immediately Emma felt a cold blue wash over her body. The pain became a dull throb and she let out a shaky exhale.

There was the tinkle of glass as the pile next to Emma grew larger. "I want to hunt them down."

"Hunt what down?" Regina asked but she already knew. She didn't like it.

"The demons. I want to hunt down other demons and destroy them."

Regina stopped in her work to give Emma a look mixed between panic and anger. "Don't." Her voice was shaky.

"Why not? If I destroy them, then they won't be a threat to me. They present an issue. The people they are contracted to have more power than regular mortals. What if they come after me? After us? And what if their all serial murderers like Barney? I know I wasn't-still aren't any better than them- but I won't stand for that. If there's going to be a demon contract in this world, if there's going to be someone whose going to be 'evil', than let it be me."

"Emma, no." Regina's eyes pleaded with the blonde. "I can understand this concern, but don't do that. It won't work out well. We barely escaped with our lives." The blonde's intentions were dangerously bordering on noble. Was her soul not as corrupted as previously thought; was the goodness of who she was, fighting with the evil that could be?

"That's because we were unprepared. We won't be next time."

"It wouldn't be wise to do that. If we start to go after more and more of them, than we'll raise suspicions. Other demons will be more aware of us, and then they  _will_  come after us. We'll have the wrath of hell brought upon us and trust me, that's not something you would want. It's not well received to kill one's own kind. I think you should understand that."

Emma was silent, staring into Regina's eyes. She had never seen the demon so worked up. So worried.

"You're too important to me," Regina added, in a lower tone of voice as if ashamed by this confession. "I don't want you purposefully putting yourself in harms way over some silly concept."

"Fine," Emma relented, only because she was kind of getting tired of this bounty hunter spiel anyways. It had been a year of this already. It was time to move on to something else. She was fifteen, almost grown, too old to be playing cops and robbers.

Regina let a relived smile grace her lips; it was short lived.

"But, I want to be mayor next."

Regina's smile fell. "Seriously?"

Emma shrugged and regretted that as it jostled her stomach muscles. Pain laced up and down even through the numbing spell. "I just wanna run shit. And before you flip out, you can be like my vice or something."

Regina thought this over, looking very well like she wanted to say no, but acquiesced reluctantly. "Very well. Your wish is my command," said with a wry smile and she went back to work on the glass extraction.


	4. Boring

_Take what I want, take what I need and I do it all with dignity/ Say what I want, say what I need and I don't need you to agree- Straight Shooter, Skylar Grey_

* * *

"Ugh, I'm so bored!" Emma flopped dramatically onto the desk that Regina was currently sitting at, studiously going over documentation. The demon frowned as Emma's mass covered up her work and with one hand she shoved her to the edge of the desk. Emma merely turned her head to stick out her bottom lip. "Regina!" she whined and the brunette tried hard not to let the hiss of irritation flavoring her tongue and begging to be released, free from her lips. She already had a pounding headache from all this paperwork and Emma's petulance was not helping.

"What is it Emma?"

"I'm bored!"

"Yes, I noted that," Regina responded with dryly, skimming a fresh sheet of paper, her tired eyes squinting behind her glasses.

"Than do something about it."

"I would Emma, but I'm busy."

Emma wrinkled up her nose. "Than un-busy-fy yourself. That's an order."

Regina arched a brow. "You know that magic can't solve every little problem, do you? And besides, you're the one who created this issue in the first place." Regina pointed to the mountain of paperwork stacked precariously by her desk.

"I didn't know that being a mayor would be  _so_  boring. If I had known, than I would have not asked to be one," Emma huffed. Technically, Emma wasn't the mayor. It turns out, demon magic had it's limits, and tempering with governmental law was one of them. Regina couldn't rewrite the laws to allow a fifteen year old to run in the election, and neither could she erase a whole town's memory and reconstruct it so that they were suddenly okay with Emma being their mayor. Thus, it was left for Regina herself to run for the position and it was a bureaucratic nightmare the amount of paper work and shaking of hands and pandering to people that needed to be done to secure a position. Though to be honest, it had been a riot to cast slanderous words against the current mayor running for re-election, and cast little spells on him that would prompt him to blurt out random embarrassing words like cock or shit in the middle of his speeches. Emma's favorite touch had been that his pants would always fall down when he would make some sort of sexist remark.

It was thanks to that, and Regina's strong stance of a variety of legitimate issues, that she was able to win by a landslide. Emma was forced to take up the role of an intern for Regina's campaign which was the only reason she was allowed to constantly follow Regina around, or be sighted with her. In truth, Regina was only a figurehead and Emma was going to use her to come up with some stupid and silly laws and get the people to follow them. But, it turned out politicking was more nuanced and convoluted...and just plain stupid, than Emma had expected and she was met with red tape on all her proposed bills.

The one upside was getting to relish all the embarrassment Regina had to go through in front of the council when proposing these new additions. Than the brunette would be forced to come up with legitimate concerns and backing for why these new law fixtures were important. Emma would have to stifle a chuckle as she watched Regina coolly use a PowerPoint slide to show the pros of having a town wide no pants day holiday.

"It would all give us a chance to relax and let our hair down, so to speak," Regina had said, her serious expression not cracking at all as she stared down the dour faced men and women of the council sitting in the room, listening to someone who they thought had their head on right, speak like they clearly had it off kilter.

"That won't be the only thing being let down, if you catch my drift," Emma sniggered to the person sitting next to her, who looked repulsed by her words.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't all that boring. Still, it could do with a dose of more doing and less sitting and reading.

"We can always give up the role and do something else," Regina suggested, a touch hopefully.

"You're right," Emma got up from the desk, peering ponderously at Regina as some ideas sparked and alighted in her head. She briefly took in the sight of the brunette, wearing those reading glasses-they really looked nice on her for some reason- before rubbing her chin, a slow smile spreading on her face.

"But first, we have to come up with a reason for our sudden departure from town and your sudden termination of position."

"We could always skip town without saying a word and no one would be the wiser."

"Ah, yes, but then we wouldn't go down in history now would we."

Regina's lips quirked. Knowing Emma's devious mind, the blonde was brewing up something bad. She waited for the blonde to reveal it.

"Let's say, you pass away, in a sudden tragic event," she began casually enough.

"How tragic?"

Emma wet her lips. "Your mansion caught fire and you couldn't escape."

Regina arched a brow, indicating she was listening.

"Because you had caught a coronary from too much excitement, during one of your balloon popping fetish play sessions."

Regina was proud of Emma at the same time she hated her for the idea. Her little Emma was growing up to be such a beautiful pain in the ass. She could make a demon cry tears of joy (usually made of lava).

"You actually expect me to do that?" She sounded scandalized.

"Come on, it'll go down in the papers for years to come. Maybe it'll even be in the history books of this small backwater town." Emma's eyes were alive with mirth and Regina let out a heavy sigh. The things she did for her contract. If she could resist she would, but as it was her pride and ego were about to suffer hugely for this. Regina had been trying to corrupt Emma, and here Emma was, corrupting her reputation. Regina only hoped word wouldn't get back to her superiors in hell. She'd die of mortification.

"And what about you?" she asked and Emma knew her idea had been accepted.

"I'll have run off because I found out your secret and since you threatened to kill me over it, I thought it safer to go to Hollywood, where I'm going to become a huge star." Emma did a little spin around the room, hands high in the air, eyes glazed over with thoughts of the future.

"Why do I have a feeling that you're not kidding about the last part?"

Emma shot back a wide smile, stopping in front of Regina's desk. "Because I'm not. So pack our bags, we're going to Hollywood!"

* * *

Mayoral house on fire and Regina's reputation sufficiently ruined, the two women headed out in a cloud of purple to California.

"Right." Emma dropped her bags onto the middle of the giant wooden floor of her new home. Currently it was occupied and it was a tad small, but not to worry, Regina would be on that. "We've got to make plans so that I can become a big star in Hollywood." Emma tore open the doors to the balcony and took in the view. It was sunny outside, the weather fair, and palm trees and low level buildings stretched in front of her as far as the eye could see, and on the horizon, was the famous sign that said Hollywood.

She really  _was_  here.

"I don't know if putting yourself out there is such a good idea," Regina countered, hesitant at this idea now that it was about to take fruition.

"Who the fuck are you-" the current occupant of the house entered, a man in his thirties, but his curiosity and life were cut short by a snap of Regina's fingers. The woman had her back turned to him so she missed his head exploding in a giant shower of red that dirtied the walls and cabinets around him. She could smell the crimson and salty wetness.

"And why is it not a good idea? I was out and about during your reign as mayor," Emma planted her hands on her hips as she took to inspecting the quality of the entertainment system in the room over. Regina could see her blonde head bobbing just over the half walls of the penthouse apartment.

"Yes, but that was a different case. It was a small town."

"Oh my god, Harold!" a distressed woman's voice shrilled out as she dropped to her knees by her husband's decapitated body. Another snap and her head flew off too, her body joining her lover's, slumped on the floor.

Emma arched a brow, seemingly blind to the carnage. "I don't see your issue with this."

Regina sighed. Why was Emma so obtuse sometimes? "I'm worried about attracting other demons, and their masters."

"You said as long as we didn't hunt them down or challenge them, then we would avoid trouble. How is this troubling to them?" Emma rummaged in the fridge, pulling the top off of a Tupperware. There was some tuna salad there. It smelled fresh. Magic travel did always make her hungry.

"Daddy! Mommy!" Snap, the young girl joined her deceased family. Regina and Emma didn't even so much as flinch during their conversations much less pay attention to the body count going on right now. It was like an after thought.

"You'll be putting yourself out into the open and people might become curious as to who you are. One of your fans might be a demon and his master and they might come after you for your power."

There was woof that came from the family dog as he nosed at the feet of one of the bodies on the floor. Regina spared him. She could sell him off to one of her demon friend's, Cruella De Vil. That woman would love his fur and find it useful for her own fashion tastes.

Emma held out a flat palm. "I'm gonna stop you right there. I have no interest in listening to your words any longer. You're being ridiculous. Now, spruce up the house, and I want us to talk about just how exactly I'm going to breach the gap to stardom." Emma walked off, wanting to chill out on the balcony as she ate her tuna salad.

Regina clenched and unclenched her fists. She didn't want Emma so out in the open, and especially not out on TV and other news medias. It was dangerous to her plans. If Emma was recognized...

Regina turned on her heel to look at the mess of tangled and bleeding bodies behind her. She simply would have to play her cards right and she might be able to get away with this without too much trouble. Maybe, even mercifully, Emma would grow bored of this idea, like she did of so many of hers others and Regina could be safe to pull Emma back into the shadows of obscurity.

* * *

It turned out Emma wanted to be a TV star. "I've always dreamed about being on the screen as a child, because at the time it seemed like the best place to be. All the perils and drama of the silver screen were so far removed from mine- I almost wanted to have their issues for mine were insurmountable at the time. There were all these brave heroines who could handle anything that was sent their way. And if they couldn't, there was always a brave hero who would come to their rescue."

"I didn't peg you for a romantic," Regina teased, lips quirked up.

Emma blushed. "I am  _so_  not a romantic. I just wanted...to escape to a fake world. And shouldn't you be helping me figure out how to be on screen, rather than make fun of my dreams?" Emma rounded on Regina who raised her hands in surrender.

"This is all necessary information. How am I supposed to help you if I don't know what kind of shows you'd want to try out for?" Regina tapped the pad with the pen she had been using to take notes. "Given what I have so far- desperate, romantic, and delusional- I think you'd be a good type cast for the woman in the show whose madly in love with someone but they don't love her back which drives her into madness."

"You are  _so_  not taking this seriously!"

"I am."

Emma wasn't convinced, Regina's dark eyes looking too amused to be serious. "I sure hope so, because you're going on the screen too."

Regina hadn't been expecting this. "What do you mean-?" This really wasn't a good idea. If her superior saw what she was doing with her time-she'd get the shit scolded out of her.

Literally.

She shuddered at the disgusting image. "Emma, I-"

"I'm ordering you to do it," Emma gave an all knowing smirk and Regina clamped her lips shut, upset she hadn't even had a chance to retort or make a point before Emma had decided for her. Regina was meant to keep Emma safe, but if the blonde insisted on being so blatant with her powers, than Regina could only do so much. And she couldn't risk losing Emma, or else she'd lose everything she had been fighting for these past years.

For now Regina grit her teeth and swallowed down her words of reason, instead scouring the internet for open spots for Emma to audition for.

Emma finally settled on one show that she definitely wanted to act for. "The script for this is amazing. So world building and just...wow." Her teenage vocabulary left much to be desired.

"I do agree," Regina murmured in soft agreement, only because she likes the script too. It's very fantastical and enrapturing. Emma's trying out for the role of the savior. When asked why, she blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I didn't have a hero in my life for so long, and I don't want anyone to have to suffer that. So even if it's fake, I want to be able to fill that role. Because my heart is too black to actually do that in real life."

Regina feels her heart squeeze in slight panic. Such thoughts on Emma's part are dangerous. Those words indicate that Emma's heart might not be as black as the blonde seems to think it is. Regina will have to change that.

"Also, this character gets to fuck shit up for the big bullies in the show." Those words, along with the mischievous glint in Emma's eyes, reassures Regina that perhaps she shouldn't worry just yet.

Auditions are a grueling period of time and they stretch out for long stretches of time, leaving Emma drained and irritable. Regina helps by preparing her her favorite food, and soon enough the process is finally over. Emma isn't worried about getting the position. She knows she will. Regina will have worked her magic on the producers and directors to make sure Emma shines and stands out from all the other participants. How Regina's own process is going, Emma doesn't know for the brunette is tight lipped on it, saying simply that she will only reveal it once Emma gets her position.

Two weeks into the process, it is finally announced that Emma has received the part and she is hugely excited, even if it was assured. This is because she'll get to finally live on the screen where she often wished she could escape to as a child. She only hopes that somehow her work can help some child escape reality even if just for a bit. And the script really does speak to her. Given her young age- only 15- there are some adjustments to the text. Her character, called Amelia Venus, is an orphan that has run away from her foster home with a younger boy named Henry, who she is close to. They somehow manage to cross the line into Storybrooke, a town that has been cursed into monotony by an evil queen's daughter, who as a right of passage did this to please her mother. But unwittingly she locked herself in this world and cannot get back to her home world, her mother unable to get through to her, although it will be revealed at the end of the second season (if and when they get picked up for a second one) that the mother purposefully sent her daughter off to that world and then locked the barrier between worlds because she didn't want her daughter to be a magical threat to her seat on the throne.

Amelia, of course, during the course of the first season struggles to make ends meet by working at a bookstore so that she can support herself and Henry, while they stay at Granny's apartment complex. During her stay here, she begins to notice that things are weird- that people seem to have memory issues, that they've never crossed the border of the town, and that they are very dutiful to the mayor of the town, who happens to be a twenty year old woman, certainly too young for such a position.

And this mayor for all intents and purposes, hates Amelia, because she isn't supposed to be here. If she continues to stay, than the curse will break. But Amelia is stubborn and she will not leave because she and Henry have finally been accepted by a community and they do not want to give up the home and friends they have made. Amelia is tired of running- "I've been on the run all my life. Running from my foster parents, running from police, running and running to get to work on time. Running to find a place that will accept me and Henry." Amelia tugs the ten year old boy closer to her. "And I am done.  _No more_. No longer will I run. I will stand and fight for what is mine. I will protect that dear to my heart."

Emma had almost teared up when she first read those lines, because they struck so close to home. She sympathized and saw so much of herself in this character. She definitely wouldn't have trouble playing it at all.

As for Regina, the sly devil, it turned out her role was the show's antagonist. Aka, the mayor Raina Miles. The role fit her perfectly, given that she was actually evil.

"It seems we're going to be butting heads a lot during this season. Are you prepared for that?" Regina asked in amusement.

"Ugh, I bet you knew this from the start. You know I won't be able to keep a straight face or get into character if I'm acting against you," Emma frowned, disgruntled. "This is sabotage."

"I have no idea what you mean. You got the role and, as you so insisted, I got mine. It is not my fault the humans sensed my wicked ways and typecast me as an evil witch. Though, if there were a demon character in this show, it could not get more perfect."

"There _is_  a demon in the show. It's you," Emma pointed out, grumbling as she settled down with script. Filming would officially begin tomorrow. Emma's Hollywood career would officially be starting; she only hoped the show would be popular enough that her stardom could be sustained for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Amelia, longer version/alternation of name Emma. Venus, symbol of love as are Swans)
> 
> (Raina, meaning queen and also an alternative version of Regina. Miles, related to Mills)


	5. Once Upon a Crime

* * *

_They only haunt_   
_The child who knows_   
_Or are they in my head?_   
_The monsters under my bed_

_Monsters Under my Bed, Aviators_

* * *

The pilot episode went off without a hitch, getting successfully picked up by a major network station. Emma popped open the bottle of champagne in her apartment in celebration. "Here's to becoming stars," she clanked her glass against Regina's before downing it in one go.

Regina wasn't as enthusiastic. This meant she would have to be even more vigilant in protecting Emma. There was no telling what sort of attention they could attract now that they were exposing themselves so blatantly.

"Don't drink too much. You have to wake up early in the morning for filming."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Sure,  _mom_. I can handle my shit. And if I can't you can just get me sober with the wave of a hand."

It was moments like this, of invulnerability, that had Emma acting like a spoiled teenager. She technically was a spoiled teenager, able to do pretty much whatever she wanted, but often she had acted maturely, almost a bit older than her age and it was in rare moments like this that Regina could see Emma was just a kid that had been forced to grow up too soon.

"Besides, once I'm famous enough I'm gonna go to all these lit parties and I need to practice drinking for that and in how to deal with hangovers during filming. Doesn't hurt to get an early start." Emma plopped down on the couch and spread her legs out, flicking on the TV screen. She hadn't seen the pilot yet. Regina sat down daintily beside her, crossing her ankles. She was still in her business clothes. The only time Emma had seen her out of them had been when she had worn the costume of Raina Miles. Emma's jaw had dropped at the sight. Regina had looked...scary and magnificent and beautiful and just...so deliciously evil. Leather corset that pushed up her chest, tight dark pants, and hair do up in a long ponytail, she actually looked more like the demon she was supposed to be.

Regina had caught Emma staring on set and arched a smug brow, before the blonde turned on her heel and busied herself with memorizing lines she already knew like the back of her hand as her cheeks heated up.

And now, watching the pilot, Emma really wanting to look at the way Regina prowled on the screen in that should be illegal outfit, but feeling guilty about ogling, she spoke the first thing that came to her mind. "How come you're always wearing those business clothes? I've never seen you in sweats." Conversation helps to distract from Regina's mesmerizing face on the TV. Her eyes are dark, her makeup heavy, and lips stained red like the apples she loves so much.

"These are comfortable enough for me as it is. Demon's have high tolerance for discomfort and pain."

Emma turns an intriguing gaze onto the demon next to her. "Really? How high is your pain tolerance?"

Regina arched a brow. "Planning on testing it out?" She doesn't mind. Pain and pleasure are the same for demons. She's not sure how that stands in the human realm.

"No. Just curious how much damage you can take."

Regina looks away thoughtfully, watching the Emma on the screen looking lost and confused as she enters Storybrooke for the first time, Henry and the two bags of belongings they own in tow. Amelia and Raina have not crossed paths yet but they will soon, and Regina wonders how Emma will take the exchange they will have going on between their two characters. It's going to be less than pleasant. Regina enjoys less than pleasant things.

"I think a missile would be the threshold of where I start to register pain."

"Holy shit," Emma lets out a low whistle. "You serious? So like, are you numb to any other sensations that fall under that force?"

"No. Not necessarily. I can still feel things, even the gentlest of touches." To demonstrate this point she traced a gentle finger down Emma's forearm. The touch left goosebumps in it's wake and Emma wondered at her body's reaction. "But I don't have to feel them. I can block the receptors from feeling things I don't want to."

"It's a mental thing?" Emma wished she could do that, block out pain she didn't want. It would have been useful all those times she had suffered unnecessary beatings at the hands of foster parents.

"Yes. If I'm not prepared, than it will hurt. But if I am, than it won't."

Emma made a noise of contemplation. "That's pretty cool. What other things don't I know about you demons? What other special abilities do you have?"

"You've seen most of my magic. And other than my rapid healing factor, I do not think there's anything else."

"You forgot eternal youth and beauty," Emma added, ticking them off on her fingers. "Seriously, you haven't aged a day past..." Emma stuck out her tongue, trying to get a good age, "25."

"That's not true. I can alter my image. So I'm not as young as I look."

Emma's nose wrinkled up as she thought of an old wizened woman. "Eww, so are you secretly this saggy titted woman with liver spots on her face, and gray hair and a hunched back?"

Regina couldn't resist a soft chuckle at that. "I most certainly am not. Maybe in a few thousand years I will be, but I'm still very much in the prime of my life."

"A few thousand?!" Emma's voice went up in pitch and she leaned more in her seat towards Regina, show now forgotten. The Regina in real life was more entertaining to watch than the TV one, even if that one's looks were dangerously intoxicating.

"We have very long life spans. I've been around ever since the middle ages."

"Whoa. That's crazy," Emma sat back with a soft voice, almost cowed into silence. Wonder danced in her eyes. "How come you've never told me this before? I want to hear stories of what life was like before. Were people in the middle ages really filthy?"

Regina's face took on a look of pure disgust. "Absolutely. And I haven't told you, because it didn't seem imperative to tell a ten year old about how old I was."

"I'm not ten anymore," Emma pouted as she poured another glass for herself and sipped it, drawing her knees to her chest.

Regina pointedly looked at the pout and drawn knees and shook her head. "I fail to see that."

"Oh come on!"

They continued bickering like that for a bit longer before Regina finally stood up, effectively ending their conversation. "Shall I get a bath ready for you?"

Emma huffed, miffed about the fact that she hadn't managed to pull anything more out of Regina. It was like pulling teeth, and there was some magic that protected the demon from revealing too many of it's truths. Guess it was put in place to give a demon some privacy from their master's powers.

"Fine," she got up, and went to bathe, deciding she would eventually worm some answers out of Regina one way or another.

* * *

As Emma soon discovered, filming with Regina was...something else. The woman was intense when it came to playing her character and Emma found that out first hand when it came time to filming their scenes together. Regina played the role of Raina magnificently, fitting the character to a T. She was menacing, mesmerizing, powerful, and just seductive enough that Emma found herself reacting without even thinking.

Facing Regina on set got her so riled up, and it was because Regina exhumed this dark vibe around her that made Emma feel scared and vulnerable and made her want to lash out. She got angry. She got up in Regina's face. And Regina only continued to mock her at that, only goaded her further. Emma often forgot she was filming when she went up against her, the emotions dredged up in her too real.

It made her think back to her horrid childhood, made her relive it, especially when Raina Miles made fun of Amelia Venus for her lacking childhood; derided her position even though it had been her own magic that had caused Amelia to be an orphan. But in those moments Amelia wasn't just a character-she was also a part of Emma. Often times, even when the director called cut on the scene, Emma was hard pressed to relax, having to visibly force herself out of character. Regina would already be back to normal like this was all nothing to her, giving Emma soothing back massages to calm her down. But those only made her feel more agitated for some reason. It was like Regina's acting had gotten under her skin, but she couldn't fathom why. She didn't dare ask Regina to stop it, because for some odd reason she enjoyed it. Enjoyed when Regina got up and close to her personal space, liked the thrill it gave her when looking into her dark eyes full of cool menace. In those moments it felt like nothing else mattered, like it was all about the two of them and this terrible crackling energy between them.

It made Emma feel alive for once in all these years, and as much as these moments confused her, she needed them around. They kept her going. They made her feel something other than apathy and disinterest. She felt rage, and sadness, and desperation- all unpleasant emotions, but something that meant she still had a beating heart, that she was still human.

After one grueling emotional roller coaster of a scene, in which Henry is trapped in a sleeping curse after eating an apple turnover meant to lock the savior into slumber, Raina and Amelia have another face off, this one resorting to Amelia growing very angry and distressed over her young friend. She blames Raina for it, saying she has to fix this, that she will not allow her innocent friend to be caught up as a casualty in these fairy-tale games. For Henry believes that this town is full of story book characters and that Raina is the one who cursed them all into servitude for her. Amelia is supposed to be the one who frees them all according to him, which is why Raina is so fearful and antagonistic towards her, but Amelia has stopped believing in stories long ago. All she wants is to have Henry back.

"You bring him back, right this instant!" Amelia screams, charging at Raina and grabbing her by the front of her jacket lapels. She yanks the woman up to her toes and searches her face to see that there is regret in her eyes, but it quickly fades under the cover of cocky evil queen.

"I'm not to be held responsible for something he did of his own accord. I wasn't planning on cursing him, but you." Henry had ate the turnover before Amelia could, thus saving the blonde from a sleepy fate.

"I don't care who you were trying to curse, undo the spell this instant!" Amelia snarled, and Emma was shaking with the effort to reign in the anger she was feeling right now. She was raw and trembling and she wanted to punch the living daylights out of Raina.

"I can't do that-"

Amelia didn't let Raina finish, slamming her up against the wall hard enough to make the china cabinet in the mayoral office jangle. There was a brief second where Raina's facade slipped and something like surprise filled her features. This wasn't part of the script, but like any good actress she powered on. Amelia's hold on her jacket tightened, her knuckles going white.

"Fix it!" she growled.

"And you think throwing me against walls will get me to want to help you?" Raina's cocky smirk is back.

A memory from Emma's childhood flashes by-  _And you think groveling on the floor and crying will get me to stop? Will send help your way? No one care about you. No, you deserve this._ She knew Regina's line was in the script. She knew it shouldn't affect her so, but it does when spoken out loud like this. And she can't stop the blind rage that fills her.

Amelia's hands relaxed their grip on Raina's jacket and she stood back, giving the mayor some space. Raina fixed up her jacket, still grinning irritably. "Glad to see you can tame your barbarian tendencies-"

Amelia took another step back to give herself more maneuvering space and swung hard, right into Raina's face. The brunette's head snapped back hard and her hand came up to her face, shaking as it valiantly held back the tide of blood rushing from her nose. "Throwing you on walls might not work, but maybe punching you will," Amelia's voice is deathly calm and she can barely feel the throbbing of her knuckles. Instead, they itch for more.

The cameramen and the director exchange looks from the backstage, shocked because this wasn't in the script at all either. But there is so much raw energy and emotion to this scene that they don't dare to stop, knowing they can milk it for all it's worth. The director orders one of the men to get closer, to get a good shot of their faces and it's a good thing he does because Amelia leans in over the mayor's tensed up form, hand planted against the wall, forehead mere inches from brushing Raina's.

"I will have you hunted down and gutted like the animal you are for this, Ms. Venus!" Raina snarls, eyes black with hatred. More improvised lines; the two of them can barely remember the correct one's and try to edge the scene back towards them; towards normalcy. Regina's not as unaffected by this exchange between her and Emma as she thought she would be. Slipping into Raina's character feels so natural, and she can't help wanting to tease and taunt Emma at every corner if just to see how frustrated she gets. Regina's master or not, the demon had to get her kicks in whenever she could for all the stupid shit Emma had made her do to her own reputation. Usually, she's in control, but as the season goes on, she's letting herself be drawn in more and more to this dynamic between them. She knows that the tension in the air, and the pull they feel towards each other is not something usual, but she does not want delve deeper into its meaning. If she does, she could get attached, and in her precarious position, its not something suitable.

"I'd like to see you try. Just remember, I'm the savior and I won't go down easy," Amelia sedately spits back. For some reason Raina is afraid of that even if Amelia thinks it's a crock of shit, but she's going to use it now, because she needs answers. She plants another hand by Raina's head. Blood has begun to leak out through the dam of Raina's fingers. Amelia hadn't meant to hit her so hard, or maybe she had. "Now, tell me how to free Henry from the sleeping curse."

There is a heated moment where the two of them are just staring at each other. Amelia works her jaw, Raina death glares her.

"I'm willing to wait, but my fists might not be," Amelia hisses, bumping her forehead against Raina's and all that's separating their lips, is the hand clamped over the brunette's mouth and nose.

"True love," Raina reluctantly gives up. "If you truly love Henry, than it'll be enough to wake him from the curse."

Amelia digests Raina's words and her lie detector doesn't ping off, meaning she's speaking the truth.

And with that there is the loud cry of 'cut!' and the scene is over, but neither woman moves for a while, eyes trained intently on their faces, until an onset nurse gets to Regina to stem her bleeding nose. Neither Emma or Regina apologize for what happened on set, because both needed that exchange more than they thought they ever would.

* * *

The punch scene, as it is so uninventively dubbed, garners a lot more views for the show, along with something else, something that Emma had not expected. The topic is first publicly brought up on Emma's first panel at comicon. She's sitting at a table with Regina, who is dressed snazzily as usual (the demon had insisted Emma dress up nicely too, but the blonde had defiantly pulled on a pair of Hollister jeans and a tank top and stuck her tongue out  _so_  maturely at Regina that the brunette had shrugged and stormed off, muttering about dead fashion tastes of today's youth) and Henry, Rumple, who plays Gold on the show, and the director and the main screen writer.

They're trying to reach out to their fans with this panel and hope to rev up some more interest for their second season (yes, they got greenlit for that, so Emma's excited).

The first couple questions are boring enough and Emma pretends to listen along, nodding her head while absently thinking of what she's going to order Regina to make for dinner in an effort to calm her nerves. It's silly to be nervous when she has a powerful being on her side, but magic can't stop her from feeling and she's only really a kid no matter how much she believes herself not to be. She thinks the demon's famous lasagna is in order, as celebration for a second season in the works.

She feels Regina's foot nudge her under the table and she's ready to snap out a sharp reply at being interrupted from her thoughts when she notices that there's a question being directed at her, so she forms her lips into a smile and listens.

"Tell us more about the fight scene. We've heard it wasn't scripted; what inspired you to forgo the planned actions and improv it?"

Emma doesn't really know what to say about this. She's never had this many people ever listen to her; in the foster care system kid's pleas went largely unheard. Her throat dries as she realizes she's actually nervous and doesn't want to botch this. Regina can sense her master's distress and squeezes her hand under the table. That bolsters Emma a bit and she squeezes back, deciding she should just be honest, rather than construct a perfect and careful answer.

"Working with Regina is an intense experience." She licks her lips; notes that people are hanging onto her every word. "She's a very talented actress and it's noticeable because every time the two of us are on screen, it's like we sort of forget who we are in reality and fall into our roles so comfortably. We both feel what our characters feel in that moment. If she wasn't so good at what she did, than I wouldn't be so into my role either. And that day when we were both filming the 'punch scene' I hadn't planned on forgoing the script. It just sort of happened like it did. It was natural- I was so angry at Raina at that moment and I couldn't hold back. Luckily, Regina was willing to roll with what I had thrown her, quite literally," Emma paused as a couple chuckles interrupt her words before she goes on, "and it's sort of how the scene was made." Emma let's out a relived sigh when she finishes and Regina shoots her a little smile before moving her hand away. Emma's heart stops pounding.

"So, there was direction behind it from the producers?"

This time the producer speaks. "No. None. We have always known that when Regina and Emma come up on screen it's going to be explosive and intense and when we saw Emma deviate from what we had planned, we sort of let it happen, because we knew the result would be good. And it was. Better than what we had written."

"So the punch was real?"

"Yes, very real. And painful," Regina speaks up, grinning playfully. She looks comfortable and at ease with the crowd but the slight tick of her jaw means she's still pissed off at Emma, her magic buzzing under Emma's skin like a trapped bee. Emma's gotten pretty good at ignoring such sensations, but today given her already nervous state, its enough to set her on edge. They had another argument about even going on this panel. Regina had said it was a bad idea; she didn't want Emma exposing herself too much in case other demons found them. But Emma thought that concern stupid. And how was she to be a big star if she didn't meet with her fans?

"At least you can't say I punch like a girl," Emma joked back, knowing that the punch, while looking painful, was really nothing the demon couldn't handle.

Emma's comment brought forth a few more chuckles from the audience before they quieted down.

"This is a question for Regina. How did you feel in the moment when Emma hit you for real?"

"I was shocked, naturally. But I didn't begrudge her it. We're both dedicated actresses and we are very insistent on bringing a hundred percent to every scene."

There is applause for that comment.

"Emma, would you say than that you and Regina have good chemistry?"

"Uh, I guess. Sure." Emma shrugged not entirely sure what that man was getting at by asking that question.

There were excited murmurs in the crowd which only made her more confused.

"Is there any future in the works where Raina and Amelia might be more than enemies?" is another confusing question being thrown out there.

The screenwriter takes over for this thankfully. "We are still writing out the plot for the second season and while it's not completely finished, we do know that Raina and Amelia's antagonism towards each other will be subsided as they have to fight off another threat that arrives at Storybrooke."

More excited murmurs from the crowd. There are several more inquires asked, these aimed mostly at Regina, Henry, and Rumple, and Emma is fine with tuning them out, wondering about the subtext she had been missing.

When the panel is over and it's time to mingle with the fans in person, Emma gets asked to sign a lot of black shirts that say simply in white ink, the word  **Vile**  on them. She's befuddled by that- is it some sort of merchandise from the Once Upon a Crime Series? But no, she would know if that was the case. It must be some sort of fanmade stuff.

"I'm so glad you and Regina are making fan dreams come true," gushes one girl whose also got the Vile shirt on.

"Uh, sure, no problem," Emma mutters out past the pen cap tip between her lips. She's scribbling her name onto the shirt, right next to Regina's signature which is elegant. Emma's is all sloppy and childlike in comparison. She's only seen her and Regina's names on these shirts- and wonder's why none of the other cast members have their names on it.

"Are you guys friends in real life?" She gazes up at Emma with these big eyes full of hope.

"Yes, we are in fact. Been best friends since I was ten." Emma's certain Regina is her best friend; she's sure the obligation of being under a contract has little effect on that. Regina could still hate her and break it if she wanted to, if she really hated Emma.

"Wow, how did you guys meet?"

Emma blanks on that. She can't tell the truth, it's not entirely right to do so to some poor innocent girl.

Luckily, Regina who was also signing shirts a few feet away, comes to the rescue. "She bought me ice cream one hot summer day, when I really needed some, and I offered her my friendship in return because I didn't have money to pay her back. And me, being a serious child, stuck by to that promise for the rest of the summer, until eventually we actually became friends."

"That's so cute! And both of you got roles on the same show. Did you plan on that?"

Regina shot the fan a charming smile, one that Emma had never seen before. It made her heart twist in longing. How come she never got that smile? Why did the fan deserve such a smile and Emma didn't?

"Sometimes, things just happen for a reason."

The fan doesn't get a chance to ask more questions because time is up, and the booth is closing.

Emma takes the chance to wave goodbye to her fans and then turns to Regina, snorting softly. "Really? That's the best you could come up with?"

"And I suppose you would have said something much more appropriate?"

"Whatever," Emma huffs, because she's only teasing Regina. She notices the woman is carrying something new with her. "Did you get one of those shirts?"

Regina unfolds it to show it off. It has  **Vile**  stamped on it proudly, but this one has more writing on it.

Emma squints her eyes as she reads it. " **Vile** \- One's nasty like bile, the other's under trial, all they do to each other is rile, but once together, they make me smile." Emma scrunches up her nose. "Huh? I don't get it. What's the obsession with this Vile thing?"

Regina smiles secretively. "I think I'll let you figure this out on your own, 'trial girl'. "


	6. What's Vile Can Stay a While

* * *

_When I see you_   
_Vision's kinda fuzzy/Feeling like I'm drowning_   
_So why do I wanna dive in? Poison in my veins again- Poison Taylor Grey_

* * *

It's a ship. No, it's more than that. It's a fandom, a hope, a dream, a desperate call for reality. Emma scrolls through Tumblr feeds and google images and sees pictures and gifs of scenes of her and Regina. They're all the ones where they've gotten too close to each other, it captioned 'can't you see the love in their eyes?', but all Emma can see is anger and desperation; a frightened girl reflected in a monster's eyes. And then there's the scene with the punch. It's been re blogged a dizzying amount of times. ' **They hate each other so much that they can't keep their hands off of each other.'**

Emma doesn't know what to say on this, or what to even think of it. How did this happen? How? She knows Regina can look ridiculously seductive when in costume but every time they've gotten up close and personal its never had anything to do with  _that_. It's been about riling each other up- Emma's lips pull into a frown. Now she understands the phrase more. Regina's the nasty one in the relationship, Emma's the one always under trial because of having to live up to her legacy, and they always rile the shit out of each other. But apparently if they were together it would make the fans 'smile?'

Still frowning, Emma rolls out of her king sized bed and pads barefoot to find Regina who is up, reading the news. Her reading glasses are on and Emma can't get over how human and domestic she looks in them. "Regina, did you know?" Emma shoves the phone open to the offending webpage into her face.

Regina doesn't look up at it. "Of course I knew," she drawls in a bored voice. Then her lips quirk up in a mirth. "I was the one who started it."

"Are you serious?" Emma couldn't sound more exasperated if she tried. "Why would you do that?"

"You wanted me to act on the screen with you, and it seems that people cannot resist my charms and have started insinuating that there must be something between us, especially since you cannot resist getting so close to me," at this Regina flicked her eyes up.

"That's because you did it first! You were like all up in my grill. What was I supposed to do? Back down? Amelia doesn't do that."

Regina only curled her lips up more in amusement and turned back to her paper.

Emma stomped her foot. "I want you to stop this Vile nonsense right this minute."

"I can't do that. It's not on my shoulders. The fans have taken it and given it life."

Emma let out a frustrated growl and stalked back off to her room, grumbling about conniving demons and useless contracts under her breath.

* * *

Emma vowed to herself she wouldn't get close to Regina while filming their scenes. And she would have been able to uphold that promise if Regina hadn't been so adamant about breaking it. The woman took every chance she could to slip a touch in, or to draw her face closer to Emma's while yelling at her. Emma was resorted to backing up to avoid this and it made her look weak. Made her look scared. And the fans picked up on this, as seen when Emma went to go check the Vile tags.

 **'What's up with Amelia? She's looking scared'**  a picture was up of Emma practically sitting on her desk in an effort to avoid the brunette, as Regina towered over her.

 **'Falling to the mayor's dastardly good looks'**  was the answer and Emma grit her teeth in annoyance.

Emma would be damned if that was how it would be picked up on. She would be the one to make Regina cower in front of her. So next time they filmed, Emma set out to do just that. She violently pushed her way into the mayor's space and had her crowded against walls and other fixtures, hand fisted in the front of her shirt. But Regina only seemed to enjoy that more.

And so did the tags.

' **Did you see how their lips almost touched in that one moment?'**  a commentator said.

 **'Here,** **now** **they** _ **are**_ **touching lips,'**  another poster added a clearly edited photo of the two of them in liplock.

Emma's face flushed at the image even as her annoyance grew. Regina was hot, but that didn't mean Emma was in love with her, even if their characters got a bit too handsy ever so often on screen. Regina was just baiting Emma into doing these things and in the process baiting the entire community of Vile.

So Emma rounded up on Regina while they had lunch break in between scenes. She had been talking to two of her co-workers- or flirting with them, as Emma realized a second later.

"Date, this Thursday?"

"Get out of here, Robin. She's not going on a date with you, but me-"

"Excuse me, I need her," Emma shoved in between them rudely and pulled Regina away before pushing her towards the brick wall in a side alley. The brunette was still wearing her evil queen costume (Regina had gotten the producers to call her alter ego the Evil Queen which was a sly reference to her demonic name (Emma still didn't know the story behind that name, but she was planning to) ) and Emma had to remember to force her eyes up so as not to stare down the wonderfully exposed cleavage.

"You need to stop what you're doing."

"Doing?" Regina blinked slowly, owlishly. It was faux ignorance. "Stop flirting with men?"

"No-yes- I mean, that's not what I came to pull you away for."

"Jealous?" Regina's eyes were alive with mirth.

"No, I'm not. Although, you did say I was the only one you'd be loyal to," Emma jerked back a thumb at herself.

"And I am. I was going to turn them down. Wouldn't want the fans to get upset."

Why did Emma have a feeling Regina was hinting at something? With an unhealthy amount of smirking (God, did Regina look so good when she smirked in her Evil Queen costume) Regina pulled out her phone and indicated to a tabloid article for Emma to read. The blonde's eyes bulged out when she saw what was written there.

"Are Regina And Emma Lovers?" There was a picture of them heading to their apartment together.  _Two recent and upcoming stars of the Once Upon a Crime Series were seen entering and exiting this apartment several times over the month. Sources have cause to believe that these two women live together. Emma Swan and Regina Mills claim to be friends, but given their huge age gap, is there something they're not telling us? Are they perhaps carrying out a sordid love affair?_

"What-how-" she turned a glare onto Regina, unable to read further. "You did this. I thought you were supposed to be keeping our identities and personal lives secret!"

"I didn't do this," Regina sighed heavily. "You're a celebrity. You can't expect privacy. People are going to print stories like this all the time."

Emma didn't believe that the demon didn't have at least some involvement with this article. "I swear, sometimes you work  _against_ me instead of  _for_  me. Is this all because I refused to listen to you about being a star?"

Regina didn't even attempt to hide that fact. "Yes. And I didn't refuse out of spite, but concern. Do you want to fight another master and demon? You could get hurt worse than a fall from a-"

Emma threw her hands up in the air. "Are you still on this? You are unbelievable. It's been half a year. Relax. Nothing is going to happen."

Regina crossed her arms stubbornly and threw Emma a dark look before she turned on her heel and stormed out.

"Demon woman," Emma mumbled out under her breath.

* * *

Season one drew to a finish without Regina making anymore attempts to push the boundaries of Emma's comfort levels. They were able to act without getting up in each other's faces, or without touching. The fandom was growing restless.

**'Anyone notice they cooled off?'**

**'Trouble on the set?'**

**'Nah, haven't heard anything. Maybe the producers decided to tone it down a bit?'**

**'No, but they said they loved their energy. It has to be something with them.'**

Emma let out a sigh of relief. She was glad Regina wasn't encouraging this anymore, because it was making Emma uncomfortably aware of how attractive Regina was. She had known the woman was, but now it was just...more out there. Emma saw her as not just a friend, but a  _woman_. And she couldn't have that.

Regina was mature yet funny and more accomplished and successful than any other person Emma had meet. And her body had all the right curves, and her lips were so tantalizing to watch as they went to work chewing thoughtfully on chocolate, or in stretching wide in a delicious smirk.

Damn that fandom, for putting all those stupid ideas in Emma's head!

And damn Regina for it too.

The cast had a celebration to commensurate the ending of the season and the soon to be filming of the second one. There was a possibility that a third season and a fourth season would be installed, and Emma was only too pleased about that. It would mean a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. And she was certain this Vile ship would die out by the end of season two completely because she was going to get a love interest soon. All she knew was that he went by the name of Hook. As for Regina, she had a bit of a redemption arc to go through first before she could get her happy ending.

The party was held at a high end hotel and Emma had sort of dressed up for this, only because she wanted to schmooze with some men. She had never before flirted with other guys or so much as kissed anyone, but she was approaching the age where she decided it was about time. Her early teen years had been fraught with too much inconsistency for a settled relationship or even a love interest, but now she had a settled life and she was sure she could do something about it.

All she had to do was ditch Regina first. She didn't want the woman cock blocking her. But it was hard to detach herself from the woman when so many people kept coming up to them to congratulate them on their work in the season so far. And it was even harder to escape and go in search of some young men she could flirt with. She was getting increasingly annoyed and was  _this_  close to ordering Regina to do some hocus pocus shit to make people leave her alone.

"Excuse us, but all this talking has made us parched. Emma, would you like to accompany me to the punch bowl?" Regina stopped the conversation short and shot Emma a look. She had noticed the blonde was looking increasingly agitated and it wouldn't do to have her erupt in the middle of the party.

"Yes, thank you!" Emma breathed out and trying hard not to run, walked away from the two camera men they had been previously conversing with. "I thought I was going to explode if I had to listen to them talk about how many cats and dogs they had for one more second." Emma said to Regina once they were out of ear shot.

She grabbed a glass and chugged the champagne in it. Already she could feel herself relaxing a bit more, but her eyes were scanning the crowd wildly from her position. Come on, were there no cute boys here? Like at all?

"What has you agitated?" Regina asked softly, tapping a slender finger on her own glass. It was still full. There was no rush for her to drink. It's not like it would get her drunk. Human alcohol was weak in comparison to demonic ones. If a human ever drank it, they would die of intoxication within three sips.

"Nothing, nothing," Emma muttered into her glass. She didn't want to reveal the truth of her current state because it was embarrassing. "I think I just need to walk around a bit. Get some fresh air.  _Avoid people._ " She stressed the last part, hoping Regina would get the message.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight. It's too dangerous-"

Emma has heard this a thousand times by now, and she's sick and tired of it.

"Too bad." A movement caught Emma's eye; a flash of someone familiar. "I order you to go talk to Robin over there."

Regina's shoulders tense as the order hits her, and she gives Emma a glare that promises death and destruction. For anyone else, no doubt it would have meant just that. But Emma's safe. She watches the brunette take angry steps towards the man who is wearing a neatly pressed shirt and black slacks, helping himself to some crackers and cheese. His face lights up when he sees whose approaching him and he puffs out his chest. "Regina, my, you look amazing tonight." And she does. She's wearing this navy blue dress that just hugs her in all the right places, making Emma a bit jealous that her own body lacks such sultry curves. Maybe when she's older, and puberty will stop hitting her like a dump truck, she'll look nice too.

"Thank you Robin," Regina coos and making sure they are deep in conversation- Emma's sure Robin won't turn away Regina from conversation no matter how inane or boring it could be- goes off to find some peace.

After an hour of wandering the party, she gives up on finding someone her age and goes outside on the balcony. The air is cool, and the night has set in, stars glimmering faintly in the sky. She looks up at them, snagging a drink from a passing by server and sipping on the champagne slowly, cradling the glass in her hand contemplatively.

She wonders and wonders about many things. About what her future holds, about the inevitable end of the friendship and contract between her and Regina, about her rising stardom, about her inability to connect with the world and other people around her. She feels disconnected at times. Like she is in a separate bubble from them, hovering up in the sky and looking down on them.

Power has to do with that. It creates distance the more one has, and it is very lonely at the top of the world. And she's used a lot of power to get around in the world, to turn her life right side up.

Maybe it's because no one has shown her love, that she doesn't know how to quite feel human. Love is a huge emotion. It's a scary one, and perhaps she isn't meant for it. Meant to be forever doomed to be alone and unloved.

"Penny for your thoughts?" a masculine voice behind her interrupts her thoughts. She doesn't look back, thinking it's some old dude come to bother her again.

"Only a penny? I'm not cheap." She snorts back, and takes a sip from her cup.

There is chuckle, not the response she was expecting at her abrasive tone. "Then can I interest you with some expensive wine?"

At this she finally turns around and her eyes go a bit wide. In front of her, wearing the black clothing of a caterer, is a young boy, a tray of carefully balanced wine in his hand. He is maybe in his early twenties, late teens, just barely passing the cusp of childhood into adulthood. He has a charming grin on his face and his eyes twinkle.

"I don't mean to disrupt you," his voice is smooth and it sends shivers down Emma's spine. "But I couldn't help wondering what a lovely young lady like you was doing out here, all alone without some company." He sweeps his eyes over her, and it isn't in a dirty way, but in a way that makes her feel like she is art, like she can be appreciated. She's in a simple white flowing dress, and her hair lies in curls around her shoulders. There is only a pink lip gloss on her mouth; it's certainly not the most outstanding of looks for there are others more impressive, but it has an impact on him.

"I was merely looking at the sky. Enjoying some quiet away from the party."

"Do you mind if I join you?" His request is shocking and to cover up her surprise she shoots back, "but aren't you working right now?"

"I don't have to be." There is a sort of mischievous allure to him, a hint of arrogance but not too much. She likes confidence; she's been surrounded by it most of her life because that's just who Regina is. And he is good looking. Not too overly muscled but not too scrawny either.

She smiles back. Decides maybe she might not be as alone as she thinks she is. "What's your name?" she asks, picking up one of the wine glasses from the tray. It smells rich and deep and she doesn't take her eyes off of him as he smiles back at her.

"Neal. Nice to make your acquaintance."

* * *

He gives her his cell phone number and at the end of the night, Emma makes her way over to Regina, smiling dumbly. Talking to Neal had been so effortless and relaxing. She wanted to meet with him, wanted to see him again, to talk more; it had been so long since she'd had such a connection with another human being. And he didn't care she was a celebrity. He hadn't even known she was, or heard of the show that he was catering the party for. He just genuinely liked her for who she was.

The party had dwindled down now. It was somewhere like four in the morning- and had she really talked to him for three hours straight? It had all seemed to pass by in a blur.

Regina and Robin had migrated somewhere during the course of the party. They were in the couches and Robin had his arm slung around the back, body angled too closely to her. Regina was laughing at something he had said, paying him the utmost attention, and was touching his leg lightly. Poor Robin was going to  _so_  get the wrong idea from all this. Emma shrugged. It wouldn't be her having to clean up the aftermath.

"Regina, it's time to go."

It was amusing to see how fast Regina bolted up to her feet. "Looks like it is time to go." Her facial expression had lost it's spark and she looked on at him in disinterest now.

"Do you have to go?" he whined, the drink in him making his inhibitions lower and he made no move to cover his displeasure at her departure.

"I'm afraid I must."

"Is it because you two live together? You know, you're adults, you don't have a curfew for bed time."

 _Damn it_ , Emma swore. Did everyone know about that? It was making weird rumors crop up around her and Regina's relationship. They were only friends! So what if they lived together and were several years apart, making their shared relationship a bit odd. It was completely innocent. Already there had been several posts about it on Tumblr, shorts fics of what the two of them got up to in their house, making Emma's lips curl in displeasure while her stomach curled in pleasure. No, she did not let Regina push her up against walls while they roleplayed scenes from their show before indulging in their 'uncontrollable desires'. Still, it was like a sick addiction and Emma found herself on the look out for more of these short written pieces, hoping to 'accidentally stumble' across them. In the moment she found some of the imagery there enthralling, and all too well written. But afterwards, she felt guilty and slightly sick when she would look at Regina. The demon was oblivious to Emma's new reading habits and the blonde felt bad for hiding this from her; for doing it behind her back.

Regina was Emma's trusted friend. She did not deserve Emma perving on her. She'd stop reading them. She swore she would.

Eventually.

"Some of us aren't eighteen yet," Regina snapped out. "And I have to make sure she makes it home safe."

He could see he had upset her so he relented. "I'll see you sometime soon?"

"Don't count on it."

Robin looked confused and deflated by her sudden coldness.

"On set?"

"Most likely," Regina turned on her heel, ending the discussion, and grabbed Emma none too gently by her upper arm, pulling her away to the doors so they could poof away.

"Ouch, could you ease up?" Emma complained at the tight hold.

"How dare you leave me with him?!" Regina's snarl was muffled by the sound of teleportation and the two woman found themselves in the living room, Regina angrily glaring down at Emma, towering on her heels.

"I wanted to be alone," Emma started softly.

"Do you have no idea how dangerous it is-"

"Are we seriously starting this again?" Emma asked in exasperation as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. Regina's diatribe was seriously going to dampen the high of meeting Neal.

"Yes, we are. Because it seems you don't have a clear understanding of how precarious our situation is!"

"No, I guess I don't. I don't understand why you're acting like a little pansy! You keep ranting about other demons coming to find us, but if the situation really was so dire, than I'm not seeing it, because everything is fine! Nothing has attacked us, and we've been out in the open for six months now. I've had terrible accidents before-ones that literally killed me and it was all fine then. You would revive me without so much as batting an eye. I don't know what changed all that but it needs to stop. So would you take a chill pill and get off my back!" Emma's voice was going up.

Regina growled and took three steps forward, backing Emma up into the wall, face dangerously close. "I'm not going to take a 'chill pill'! I happen to take my job very seriously and I will not have your stupidity getting in the way of it. I've been lenient enough times with it in the past that I can't afford you being reckless like that again. There also is a difference between accidents and being hunted down by a demon which is an entity on a whole other scale! I happen to be concerned about your safety; I don't want to see you ripped apart by another demon. I'm the only one who cares! And you wouldn't want me to stop." Emma didn't realize the magnitude of the situation. If another demon got it's hands on her...if the angels found out about her...than it would put a wretch into Regina's plans.

 _You're not the only one who cares_ , Emma thought to herself, thinking of Neal. "Is that a threat?" She kept her gaze level on Regina. She wasn't going to back down from this demon.

"Maybe it is." Regina's voice was low and her eyes were dark. Orbs that swallowed up light and reflected nothing. They were so close Emma could make out the scar on Regina's upper lip. She wondered, how had that gotten there? Weren't demons invulnerable?

Suddenly Emma's face flushed. They were entirely too close. In a way that they usually reserved for only Amelia and Raina. Thoughts about the latest fic she had read involving Amelia against the wall and Raina on top of her filled her thoughts and she needed to leave.

Now.

"Whatever," she mumbled out, averting her gaze and awkwardly shuffling out of the tight spot between Regina and the wall. "I'm going to bed."

Regina doesn't say anything but Emma can feel her gaze on her back, making her warm all over.

She really needs to stop reading those fics.


	7. There's More Than One Monster After me

_No (not in my house) Not in my house (don't even try it; do it) Callin' you out (not in my house) We'll have a showdown (don't even think about it)-_

_Showdown, Svrcina_

* * *

Continuing this relationship that Emma wanted with Neal was proving difficult and for more than one reason. First off, she was in the middle of filming the first half of the second season and it was grueling, being on set from sun rise to sun set, sometimes the set moving entirely to another location in order to get the right atmosphere for a scene.

Secondly, Neal worked a lot. He had his catering job which sometimes required him to travel all over the city to get his hours in and made it hard for them to even be in the same location for more than three consecutive days at a time.

Thirdly, Regina was being infuriating! Emma knew full well that the brunette was purposefully sabotaging all of Emma's attempts to meet up with Neal. On the rare occasion that Neal and Emma's schedules did mesh well, there would be some last minute change in filming schedule and Emma would have to stay on set because it had just become apparent that she needed to redo her lines.

And that wasn't the worst part. When Regina couldn't manipulate something like that into happening, she would crash all of Emma's dates with Neal. The first had been the worst but it didn't get any less annoying after that.

It had been Emma's first date ever. She'd never gotten this far with anyone before and so she put extra care into dressing cutely and in curling her hair and applying some makeup on. She knew it was only a dinner at a local diner, but she wanted to impress him. Wanted him to compliment her once more, wanted him to look at her like she was art.

Regina had snorted as she'd watch Emma get ready, all the while trying to talk her out of this, insulting the crap out of Neal. "Will you just shut up!" Emma had yelled at last at the demon perched on her dresser arms crossed on her chest. The demon's mouth twisted up and in retaliation she snapped her fingers and the music playing from Emma's laptop that she had been using to get ready to suddenly fizzled out.

"You are so petty," Emma snarled out between gritted teeth.

The demon, unable to speak due to the command, smirked and poofed away in purple smoke.

Emma let out a long exhale to calm herself down. She wasn't going to let this date be ruined by childish behavior. Then, picking up two pairs of earrings, she compared one and the other in the mirror to see which matched better.

She arrived in the diner in a bundle of nerves, a breathless smile on her lips when Neal stood up to greet her. "It's so good to see you. I've missed you."

"Same," Emma managed out, her heart thumping in her chest. They had been texting everyday but that wasn't the same as seeing each other in person and as Emma let her eyes linger on him- taking in his styled brown hair, his black button down shirt opened at the collar to hint at the smooth muscle there, and his skinny jeans- she realized just how much she missed him, and how much she was growing to like him. In his texts he was kind and considerate and honest. He was also patient with her, willing to give her time and space when she had confessed she had a hard time connecting with people.

And on another plus, he wasn't enamored by Regina's looks like the thousands of other people that so much as laid eyes on her. In fact, he seemed to hate her, especially because he knew she was giving Emma trouble about the blonde being involved with him.

He pulled her into a warm hug and she inhaled his scent, something woodsy and strong. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she let herself forget about all her outside problems and her annoyance at Regina.

All too soon he pulled away and they sat down in the vinyl booths. "Dinner is on me."

"No, that's fine. I can pay for my own-"

"Let me treat you on this first date. It's why I've been working hard. Saving up money so I can try to woo and impress you," he quirked his lips up kindly at her and she felt a light flush settle onto her cheeks.

"Well, then. By all means, woo and impress me." Emma couldn't help from challenging him.

"I will, my princess." He took her hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles. Both were unaware of the piercing and heated glare sent their way by one of the customers sitting in the back of the diner, back going rigid at that simple touch between the two of them.

They had only gotten through half of their date, Emma lost in a world that contained only her and Neal and the warm fuzzy feelings he invoked in the pit of her stomach, before Regina had slid right into the seat by Emma, pushing her over.

"Regina, what the fuck-!"

But the brunette ignored her, eyes trained murderously on Neal. "I don't like you. I  _really_  don't like you." She leaned in closer to him, the boy leaning away. "And I know what you're up to. So as a common courtesy I've come to remind you to stay the fuck away because you won't be getting Emma, you filthy little slimeball! I won't let you harm her!"

Neal looked taken aback by such harsh words and Emma was mortified. She pushed at Regina's shoulder, urging her to get the fuck out of here. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?! You're ruining my fucking date!" But Regina was an unmovable rock in her seat, her gaze still trained on Neal as if she was hoping he would spontaneously combust. He doesn't do that because Regina knows to control her magic in front of others. If he's going to die in this moment, Emma is sure it's going to be 'natural causes'.

"I don't know what you're talking about-" Neal sputters, his cheeks coloring angrily.

"I think you do."

He contemplated her words, his expression darkening momentarily. "Are you trying to threaten me off?"

"Yes." The demon wasn't even trying to deny it.

"Regina!" Emma huffed, scandalized, still pushing fruitlessly at the brunette's shoulder.

Neal sat back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest confidentially. He casually reached for a fry and popped it into his mouth, never lowering his gaze. "You don't scare me."

"No?" Regina arched a brow and suddenly Neal's face turned purple as his hands went up to his throat.

Panic flared through Emma. "Regina-outside. Now!"

The order went through and with a distasteful frown, her eyes never leaving the still choking man, Regina was pushed out of the booth and outside roughly by a fuming Emma.

"How fucking dare you-how fucking  _dare_  you!" Emma shoved at Regina's midriff several times, causing the woman to stumble back. "You tried to kill my fucking date! I can't fucking believe you!"

"You don't know what you're messing with. You need to stay away from him-" Regina raised her pointer finger to lecture Emma and Emma slapped the demon's hand away, too pissed at her.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"You're being incredibly obtuse, Emma!" Regina snarled out now, upset at the human who had the audacity to push her and slap her hands away. "He's clearly a ma-"

"I don't want to hear another word from you about Neal!"

Regina's mouth snapped shut and her nostrils flared in anger as the words of warning she wanted to say but could not clawed at her throat, desperate to be freed but now had been effectively caged forever.

"And don't you bother me about Neal ever again." Emma added on, warning clear in her voice, and seeing that Regina didn't say anything, she took that as a victory. "Now, go home."

Scolded like a dog that had peed on the carpet, Regina had no choice but to go home, disappearing in purple smoke. Emma than took to long shaking inhales, pushing her hands in her hair as she scanned the dark and empty parking lot. She felt like a mess, the adrenaline of the altercation shaking her badly. Bitter disappointment at the ruination of her date filled her mouth. She couldn't believe Regina would go so far as to try and kill him.

She should have expected it, she was a demon after all. Still, it hurt. It hurt that Regina would do this to someone Emma cared about. How even was Neal right now? Had he stopped choking? Concerned she pushed open the door to find he had paid the bill and was putting his wind breaker on already.

"Neal...I'm so sorry," she breathed out.

He couldn't quite meet her gaze and she felt guilty about this. "Regina is just insan-intense. She and I have been friends for a while, and she...doesn't share well."

Neal nodded his head at that. "I'm not upset. I'm just...I almost choked and I..." he rubbed a hand over his eyes. "I saw my life flash before my eyes. I could have used some help with that, instead of you going and pushing Regina around."

So Neal had seen that. But there was no way to tell him that if she hadn't pushed Regina around than he would have actually died. "Sorry, I just..." what could she say to make this better? "Are you all better now?"

"Yea, one of the waitresses helped me. It's okay." But he didn't look okay.

"I'm sorry," Emma apologized one more time and looked down at the floor awkwardly. She felt so stupid now. So dumb. Like she had ruined her one chance at being truly happy.

And it was all Regina's fault! Oh, she was so going to punish that woman for doing this.

Neal picked his head up, giving her a small little smile. "Let's not dwell on the past. I'll see you soon sometime?"

"Yes," Emma couldn't help but hopefully gasp, eager to not lose him. "Just let me know when."

But he didn't say anything more after that and her brief hope was crushed. So when she strode into her house, she immediately ordered Regina out of the armchair she had been in, reading something on her phone. "Up!" The command yanked Regina out of her seat like someone had her on a hook.

"I see you're back," she grit out, not looking at all happy at Emma's rudeness.

"Yes, after that wonderful date. Thank you very much!"

"I was only doing it to protect you-"

"I don't want to hear another damn word out of your mouth unless it's an apology," Emma spat, stomping her foot and scuffing the wooden floor with her heels. Damn it! She had worn heels- fucking heels!- to make this date work, and Regina had ruined all her efforts!

When Regina didn't say anything, Emma placed her hands on her hips. "Well?"

Regina looked offended. "You expect me to apologize."

"Yes." Emma planted herself into the chair Regina had just been in. "I'm waiting."

Red flashed in Regina's eyes. She was the Evil Queen- a notorious demon. She didn't get down on her hands and knees for some lowly human no matter the worth of their soul! "You must be out of your mind if you think I'm-"

"On your knees."

Regina painfully crashed down onto her knees, hissing her displeasure. Emma merely coldly looked on at her. She could tell just how pissed off the demon was by her magic levels. They were bouncing off of Emma's skin in giant waves, making her feel like she was getting zapped with a bug zapper. But Emma was even more pissed off.

"Don't make me make you do it," Emma threatened and Regina swallowed back a growl. Her magic trembled just barely under the surface of her skin; it called for revenge, for salvaging broken pride, and for regaining respect through blood and tears and pain. But the contract held Regina firm and all she could do was shuffle on her knees closer to Emma.

So Emma wanted an apology. She was going to give her one she wouldn't forget. She wasn't going to let the blonde lord her; she was going to find a way to maintain her dignity.

She lowered herself onto her hands as well, making her head closer to Emma's long exposed legs. The girl had opted to wear a flowery dress that only went to her thigh; it was perfect for what Regina had in mind.

Emma watched her expectantly, having missed the mischievous spark in Regina's eyes. She was wholly unprepared for what was going to happen next.

One hand wrapped around Emma's ankle and pushed her legs swiftly apart, other ankle suddenly assailed by soft, soft lips. Emma let out a little gasp.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice wavering in surprise. Her green eyes had gone wide.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm apologizing," Regina murmured against the flesh of Emma's leg as her lips ascended higher on one leg, her fingers doing the same on the other leg. Goosebumps broke out on Emma's skin and she felt anymore protests stick in the back of her dry throat as Regina spoke in a low husky voice.

"I'm sorry Emma, for ruining your date." The vibrations of her words sent chills down the blonde's spine and she could only watch mesmerized. Another gasp left her mouth when she felt the distinct wetness of a tongue arch it's way up her kneecap. "I'm sorry for being such a bitch." The tongue continued it's work, other hand now massaging Emma's right thigh, having delved under the hem of Emma's dress.

Regina's short hair tickled at Emma's bare skin as she gave up her licking to gently pull at the skin of Emma's left thigh with her teeth. Emma was all too aware that her breathing had increased and her fingers had curled around the arms of the chair.

Regina let go with a soft pop, the skin red, before she laved at it with her tongue to make the hurt go away. Each tongue stroke threatened to make a whimper escape Emma's lips. "So, what do you say? Will you let me make it up to you in the way you'll like it?"

"Like it?" somehow burst out of Emma's mouth, and by God, she had never even had sex, or had an understanding of it, or even had someone come close to touching her like this, all intimate and seductive and she couldn't understand why her body was reacting this way to Regina when all she wanted was Neal. Her heart was pounding and she was sure she was about to start hyperventilating.

Regina paused from her licking to look up from her spot between Emma's thighs and holy shit, why did she look so fucking hot in that position? "I know about those filthy little stories you read about me. I assure you, they're all inaccurate. I am  _far_  more talented than that."

_Fuckfuckfuck_. Emma couldn't believe Regina was propositioning something like this. It seemed like exactly something out of those little stories Emma had read.

Oh shit-! Regina knew about Emma's little habits? Emma's cheeks colored in embarrassment but before she could say anything, Regina's hand that had been on Emma's thigh previously snaked under her dress and found her hip bone, pulling her roughly forward and into Regina's waiting mouth. Emma, through the thin material of her dress, could feel the heat of Regina's lips as she gave Emma a kiss there and the feeling of electricity that shot between her legs sent her gasping loudly, arms flying off the chair and into Regina's hair as white flashed momentarily in front of her eyes.

Regina felt a thrill of pleasure go through her at the rough way Emma's fingers pulled at her hair. There was no denying she had gotten under the human's skin.

"Fuck-no-I can't do this," Emma panicked at her own body's reactions and untangling herself from Regina, she stumbled to her room nearly tripping, and slamming the door shut behind her.

Regina merely stood up, straightening her suit jacket, smoothing her hair down, and chuckled. Emma would now think twice about forcing her into an apology.

Meanwhile Emma paced her room angrily, pulling at her roots. Trying to forget the fire coiling in her belly. Instead trying to think of the way Neal made her insides feel warmth and fuzzy and not thick and hot like Regina had.

_Sleep. I need sleep,_  she told herself. Everything would be better when she woke up.

But it wasn't. Because when Emma woke up the next day it was to a wetness between her thighs she had never felt before and to memories of dreaming about wandering fingers, husked words, and someone with brown short hair between her thighs, lips going up higher and higher.

She pretended it was Neal.

* * *

Eye contact with Regina was difficult after that although the demon had no issue with that, or with getting in close to Emma.

"Did my apology not suffice?" she purred when she caught Emma before one of their shared scenes on set.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Emma mumbled, busying herself with her script and turning her back on Regina. Regina only leaned in closer and Emma shivered at the touch. It was too soon after the dream to be touching like that; too soon after the actual thing and she moved away as casually as she could from Regina's fingers.

"You seem upset is all, dear." A pause, then: "Unsatisfied. Left wanting. Throbbing with unfulfilled des-"

"Regina!" Emma turned to Regina, red cheeked.

The demon arched a brow.

Emma knew the brunette was waiting for some sort of comeback but Emma was too flustered to have one because she had just looked into Regina's eyes and she wasn't ready for that. She span back on her heel quickly and ducked her head down, trying to hide her blush. "Shouldn't you be rehearsing lines?"

Thankfully, whatever Regina had been about to say next was cut off by Robin.

"Regina, there you are. I got you some coffee." There was a small grunt of frustration from Regina before she span and gave him a fake smile and then spoke to him in a fake cheery voice.

"How thoughtful." Too thoughtful. He had been hounding her around set ever since the second season had began all because Regina had been ordered to talk to him by Emma at the cast party. No doubt the blonde knew that this would cause Robin to get the wrong idea and had done this purposefully.

Regina was contemplating finding some way he would 'accidentally die' but seeing how her earlier innocent attempt with Neal had not gone over with the blonde, Regina knew Emma would be extra suspicious about Robin's untimely death. So she would have to suck it up and hope he would lose interest in her.

For she had more pressing issues to be worried about and they all regarded Neal. Yet, ever since Emma had ordered Regina to stay mum on the topic, the brunette had been unable to even speak to show Emma proof on why Neal was being this friendly to her.

She would be forced into retaliation soon if he didn't keep away. So far he was keeping away but how long would that stay? She knew he wouldn't give up this easily. Not when such a price was at stake.

As she halfheartedly listened to Robin and sipped on the coffee he had brought her, she tried to think of ways to get rid of the Neal problem without arising suspicion or breaking Emma's trust in her. Her thoughts were cut short by loud cries.

"Regina! Emma! We need you on set!" The director called out and Regina was more than happy to leave Robin behind while Emma was internally fretting. Her and Regina's scenes usually involved getting up and in the face and she didn't know if she could deal with being this close to her friend right now.

She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly to steady her nerves.  _Relax, just treat this like any other filming session._

Regina saw this and shot the blonde a smirk that promised trouble. And with that Emma's calm dissolved. She knew Regina was going to give her hell.

She wasn't wrong.

Regina got too close, her touches were too soft, or too sensual, and Emma fought valiantly to stop the blush on her cheeks only to lose the battle each and every time. She was getting tired of feeling like this and tired of getting embarrassed by this, for the fandom noticed.

**'Things are heating up'** one caption had read on a still photo of Regina looking at Emma with lowered lids while Emma bit her lower lip and tried to look away into the distance like the blush was for something reserved on the horizon and not for the woman next to her.

**'Did anyone notice, but are the scenes even more full of tension than before?'**

**'Yea, I have'** was one response.

**'I swear if the two of them don't get together, this tension will kill me soon. Send help'**

Emma needed to get her shit together.

_Tomorrow,_  she promised. Tomorrow would be the last time she would let Regina lord this over her.

In a scene that was strangely reminiscent of a similar situation in their real life, Emma's and Regina's characters had gotten into a fight. Raina had done a wrong and she was trying to brush past it but Amelia wanted an apology.

"I already told you, get over it," Raina had arrogantly said, sticking her chin right up.

"And what if I can't? Because unlike  _some_  people here, I actually have a heart, and what you did, it hurts." Amelia was pacing angrily in the mayor's office after having busted right in. A common reaccurance these days. Amelia always did have some issue or another with the mayor, this most latest one involving in Henry having gone missing because some fairy-tale associates of Raina had kidnapped the little boy and sent him to Neverland to be sacrificed to Pan.

"I'm not going to apologize for something I had no control over."

"They're your friends!" Amelia shook angrily and slammed her hands on top of Raina's desk. "That means you  _can_  do something to stop them. To give me Henry back! Yet you act like this is none of your business!"

"Because it is not," Raina stood up suddenly, cold. "I am not responsible for the actions of some associates of mine, or for the irresponsible ones of your little friend. I will not bend and bow to you for their faults. Now, if you don't mind, you're interrupting very important work."

Amelia deflates a little. "I thought...I thought we were beyond that."

Raina cracks a evil smile. "Well, than I'm sorry you thought we were friends dear."

"You sick-!" Amelia erupts in anger because of the fact Raina can apologize but chooses not to for something like Henry's current plight. But Emma is angry because Regina is hinting at the fact that her earlier apology for harming Neal and ruining Emma's date was not sincere, just a way of getting under her skin. "This is all your fault- he wouldn't be in any kind of danger if it weren't for your stupid little town full of fairy tale characters!"

Amelia lunges over the desk and pushes the mayor angrily back down into her seat. Raina's hands scramble at Amelia's tight hold on the mayor's white collar shirt. In Emma's rush, she thinks she's ripped some buttons off, the front of the shirt way too open, skimming the line between indecency with the amount of cleavage it shows.

Some of Raina's hair has fallen into her eyes but her glare is still as intimidating. "And how do you want me to apologize for an action I have not committed? Shall I get down on my knees and kiss your shoes? Or do you want me to prostrate myself on all fours and beg for your understanding?" They've forgone the script once more.

That brings back flashes of the warmth of Regina's mouth and hands and Emma stumbles on her next lines. "I-"

"No." At this Raina gets up, taking advantage of Amelia's slackened grip and gets up in Amelia's face, her own hands gripping the edges of the open flannel and trapping Amelia to her. "Maybe I should apologize for the fact that you seem to be a barbarian that can't deal with conversations without resulting to violence. Or for the fact that you are too dense to be reasoned with. Or too stupid and prideful to consider perhaps you could _ask_  me for helping in retrieving Henry for you."

"What?" Amelia breathes out, Emma too breathless to say the word properly.

"Do I have to spell everything out for you?" Raina sighs, her exhale blowing across Emma's lips. It smells like mint. Makes Emma's lips twitch. "I said I would have helped you, but, you've gotten on my bad side now." She lets go of Amelia's shirt and brushes her fingers across it, smoothing the wrinkles away.

"Really?" Amelia asks and Emma still hates how she sounds breathless. But Regina's mouth is so close and Emma is reminded where it had been not too long ago. Her thighs come to clench close together to squash down the buzzing between her thighs but Regina's body is in between and it only results in Emma winding herself closer to Regina.

"Really," Raina smirks and then without warning pushes Amelia hard onto the desk, her head smacking harshly against the wood. Raina than strides away, her heels clicking with purpose as Amelia sits up, rubbing her head.

"Maybe if you were inclined to apologize to me, I would reconsider helping you get your friend back." Raina paused thoughtfully in front of the door and Emma knows what Regina is playing at. She's upset she has been made to get on her knees in front of Emma, to be silenced about Neal, and she wants Emma to feel bad about it.

Emma won't give her that satisfaction. If Regina wants to play with fire, she's going to get burned. Because Emma is the one with power here.

She gets off the desk, forgoes her lines entirely now. "I don't think it's going to happen like that Mayor Miles." She's cocky now and she's too set on giving Regina her due to play her role. She's not Amelia anymore; she's not the girl who was to give in and nicely ask Raina for help. She is Emma and she is the girl with the demon under her command. "I think you're going to help me, because you know it's the right thing to do." Emma stares down Regina and they are too close again but Regina doesn't get easily flustered. Her eyes are challenging.

"I don't do things the right way, Ms. Venus." Her voice is low and entirely not appropriate for the type of conversation they're having. "I do them the wrong way."

That makes Emma's stomach twist oddly but she ignores it.

"Then let's fix that." And before the situation can escalate, Emma exits the scene.

"Cut!" the director yells out and there's murmuring from among the crew at the scene.

But Emma's still too riled up to listen in to what they're saying.

"You, with me," she jerks a finger at Regina who has no choice but to follow her. They go to Emma's trailer and the blonde locks the door and orders Regina into kneeling on the floor.

"Again, with this shit?" the demon hisses. She clearly has a power complex which Emma finds odd. If she doesn't want to serve people's orders, than why enter a contract?

"Yes. You are under my command or did you forget? I don't expect insubordination from you. And if that bothers you, than we can end this contract." It was said as more of a threat but Emma realizes it can be a reality. One she's never really thought of until now, and she wonders why she thought of it now.

Real fear flashes in the demon's eyes. "Fuck, it's already started," she hisses but not soft enough.

"What has?" Emma barks down at her.

Regina bites her lips; looks like she wants to say something else. "Puberty."

Emma doesn't press on that more. She asks: "why be in a contract with me if you apparently hate following orders?" Emma thinks back to the past. Regina always huffed and puffed about Emma's commands but recently, as Emma's gotten older and been unable to be redirected in her desires, Regina has become more resistant.

Regina twists her lips up as she is forced to spit out the truth. "You're actually my first contract." Emma finds that...flattering?

"Why?" But apparently Emma's control over info diving has ended there.

"I took pity on you."

This angers Emma. She hates pity. She doesn't need pity. Nor does she deserve it.

"You're going to feel pity for yourself real soon, because you've been acting like a bitch. I don't appreciate you doing...doing those things!" Emma blushes because she's too shy to give a name to Regina's enticing touches.

Regina takes enjoyment from this and leans forward a bit so her still ripped shirt drops lower and Emma can see down her breasts. She has a nice pair. "I was only trying to make one of your fantasizes come true."

"I don't- I haven't-" Emma turns red some more and huffs, putting her hands on her hips. "Why don't you make Robin's fantasy come true?"

"Don't you dare." Regina's voice is so low and so laced with poison that Emma feels a tremor of fear at this. The demon's eyes are black now. A vein in her forehead is popping out and her hands are clenched tightly. "Don't you dare make me do anything with him."

Emma swallows thickly but continues on. "Then I hope my message is clear. I still hold power over you and it would be dumb to start shit with me." Then she leaves Regina kneeling there in Emma's trailer.

The demon watches her go with eyes that slowly turn back to their hazel color. She knows why there is a rift between the two of them and it's not because of Regina's earlier actions.

"Neal."

His name is a curse on her lips.

* * *

The Vile fandom eats their latest scene up eagerly and there is no ending supply of gifs about the way Emma has her thighs wrapped around Regina's, or in the way Regina has her spread out on her back on her mayoral desk.

Not to forget to mention the ripped open shirt being the prelude of their 'foreplay', Regina's lowly whispered words of doing the 'wrong thing' confirming that.

Emma just groans and buries her face in her pillows. So embarrassing.

Her phone goes off with a ping and it's a text from Neal.

Recently he's been watching the show and he's been on top with all the fandoms so he has no doubt seen this latest slew of Vile.

**Hmmm, with this sort of evidence, you sure you and Regina are nothing more than friends?**

Emma rolls her eyes.  **Of course we're not. Please. Don't make this any more embarrassing for me. I'm already dying of mortification.**

When he doesn't answer that, leaving Emma staring at the screen for half an hour in hopes he will respond, she sighs and leaves her room to go eat her feelings from a tub of ice cream. A knock comes in on the closed balcony door and she spins around, spoon in her mouth.

"Neal?" she garbles around her spoon. The boy is standing on the other side and smiling sheepishly at her.

She quickly scans the room to make sure Regina isn't here. Surprisingly she is not. Then she goes to open the door, joining him on the balcony.

"What are you doing here?" she pulls the spoon out and points it at him, wondering why he is here, but elated that he is. Doesn't even question how he knows where she lives.

"You told me you were dying. So I came all this way, and climbed up the side of the apartment, to make sure you're okay." He hops onto the railing and situates himself.

She can't help the goofy grin that spreads on her face. Her heart feels so light in his presence and she forgets the world around her. "I'm not actually dying. But if I was?"

She's approached him and he cups her chin in his hand. "Than I would have revived you with my kisses."

And Emma feels her heart thump faster at the thought of him kissing him.

But something else is niggling at the back of her mind. Regina. And her more than intimate kiss right over Emma's very core.

Emma let's out a loud gasp and tears herself from his hold on her, feeling a bit of clarity returning to her world. She feels her insides coil hot and heavy, a sensation she's come to associate with naughty thoughts of her friend. But the light fuzzy air headedness that being around Neal brings her is trying to reclaim her and bring her under.

"Emma?" Neal says but Regina is also speaking it, and Emma feels the woman's arm wrap around shoulders, holding her warmly.

"Oh, hey," Neal greets Regina and he doesn't look nervous in her presence.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up at my house." Regina's voice is low and dangerous. A half growl.

And then Neal is falling off of the balcony with a shrill shriek.

"Regina! What the actual fuck!" Emma pulls free and rushes to see Neal's dead body, bones broken and blood pooling freely- "You pushed him off the balcony! You killed him!"

"I wish," she muttered under her breath.

For underneath the balcony, Neal is picking himself up and dusting off the leaves and dirt off of him.

"Neal, you're alive," Emma breathes out, filled with relief.

He shoots her a thumbs up. "Of course I am. My love for you keeps me alive."

Emma melts at those words.

"Oh my Satan," Regina mutters in disgust, rolling her eyes at the sappiness.

"But it looks like I'm not welcome here. Don't worry. I'll find my way back to you princess, and defeat the Evil Queen."

Emma laughs at the sweetness but Regina's insides clench in cold dread. He's not joking.

That night she adds an extra layer to her protective charms overlaying the house. She doesn't know how he found and got through them in the first place but it's concerning.

It's time to brush up on her magic because war is coming.


	8. The Real Monster is Me

* * *

_No need to tell me you're my friend/This human heart_   
_How many times can it be torn/This angel has lost her wings_   
_I'm building a monster_

_\- Building a Monster Skylar Grey_

* * *

_**A/N: Warnings for some gore in the later portion of this chapter.** _

Regina continued upon her irksome methodology of ruining Emma's alone time with Neal. The infuriating demon had interrupted Emma's second date, and while she couldn't do it outright, she was doing it from behind the scenes.

When the date, a simple trip to an amusement park, resulted in Neal falling out of two rides to what should have been his death (the boy really was lucky and somehow managed to survive both times, a fact Emma was happy and not suspicious of) and in him suddenly getting mobbed by a group of girls that were intent on ripping him limb from limb, Emma suspected something was up. And when she saw the demon trying to hide unsuccessfully behind the cover of a lemonade stand and stifle her laughter, it only confirmed her notions.

"Regina, what the hell are you doing here?" Emma had stormed up to her because she knew the only way to save Neal from the way those girls were trying to rub their faces on his nipples, was to get to Regina.

"Causing hell, obviously," Regina rolled her eyes.

"I thought I told you, explicitly, that I did not want you interfering with my dates!" Emma threw her hands up.

"And I thought I made it clear that I would," Regina hissed.

"I don't want to  _see_  you interrupting my dates again! That's an order. An order!" Emma spat. "Now, fix this!" Regina's eyes flashed indignantly but with a snap of her fingers, the fan girls dispersed and Neal found himself, clothing ruffled, hair mussed up, but alive and on the floor in one piece.

"Now, begone, demon!"

Regina poofed away with a downturn of her lips.

The rest of the date went by peacefully and Emma didn't think it was too much to hope that the rest of the dates would be Regina free. But apparently it was.

A month later on their third date, which consisted of a simple picnic in the park in which bees mysteriously up and attacked Neal, sending him in a frenzy as he tried to outrun them, Emma once again began to suspect Regina behind this. But when she looked around, she could see no sign of the demon. They were in secluded spot and the only other animate objects around her was the black and brown bird sitting in the tree.

So Emma ran after Neal and tried to save him from the bees. Ten bee stings and a ruined picnic later, they decided to go on a simple walk down the street. That turned into a disaster too. Neal stepped in some dog crap and slipped, hitting his head hard. Emma glared angrily at the black and brown dog that had just left the mess proudly behind. Where was it's owner?

They had to go to the store and buy Neal some new shoes.

But lo and behold, as soon as he exited the store he stepped into a pile of strategically placed shit again. This time, cow shit. The cow let out an amused moo as it went about it's day, clomping down the sidewalk casually.

"Okay, this is it!" Emma cried out angrily, balling up her fists. She knew who was doing this.

"I'm sorry," Neal shot her an embarrassed and apologetic look. "I don't mean to be such a klutz and ruin our date, but I guess I'm having a really shitty day today." He pointedly looked at the pile of shit.

"No, its not you," Emma sighed. The light fluffy mood she got whenever she was with Neal was being ruined by the flames of anger in her gut Regina had caused her. "Give me a moment, will you?" She strode over to an alley way and making sure she was truly alone, she placed the palm of her hand against the clock tattoo on the back of her right hand. She was the only one who could see this tattoo, it being enchanted that way specially so as not to draw attention.

It burned bright for a moment or two before dying down. Regina now stood in front of Emma, looking disgruntled. "Come to scold me more?" She grumbled.

"Yes! I know what you're doing. You're sabotaging my date. Again! I thought I told you-"

"What you told me, and I quote, is that you don't want to 'see' me interfering in your dates. Have you seen me?" Regina arched a brow. "Well?"

"And you must think you're so brilliant," Emma cried sarcastically, "for outsmarting a sixteen year old's orders. Call off those animals from attacking us. I don't want you so much as marring my dates with any taint of your existence. Got it?" Emma was sure that was guaranteed to be an impenetrable order. Given Regina's dark expression, it would hold for now.

"Understood," Regina hissed darkly before disappearing again.

Unfortunately, Emma didn't get a chance to test out the extent of her orders because Neal was booked heavily with catering events for the next three weeks or so. "I'm sorry the dates have been a disaster, and I want to make them up to you. But I can't right now. Maybe sometime later?"

Emma had been sad to see him go, but she understood. She was the one who was sad that he had to suffer because of Regina while thinking it was all his fault the dates were going bad. But it wasn't like Emma could say that her demon was plaguing him.

So Emma went back to focusing on her acting. The second season was just finishing up with their filming. Recently Emma had finally been able to interact with her male love interest in the series. His name was Killian and he played Hook on the show, a dastardly yet smoking hot pirate captain. And Emma couldn't lie-there was something hot about him in the way he dressed in leathers- but no matter how hot he was, he didn't make her feel anything. Which was something she had to explain at another panel that the cast members had gone to, to build up a stronger fanbase and more hype for a third season.

"Are you and Killian dating in real life?"

"Do you think he's hot?"

"Would you go out with him?"

"Tell us about if there will be a kiss scene!"

They had created a ship for her and the pirate, calling it CaptainVenus. Already a lot of fans were shipping it, despite the basis for the two characters relationship to be a bit unsteady. They were kind of in that don't like, but attracted to each other phase.

All these questions had Emma flustered and she didn't know how to respond to them. She was totally inexperienced in that regard. She hadn't even had her first kiss yet! Not even with Neal, and Emma suspected that it had a lot to do with Regina effectively killing off any romantic mood between them. Emma was going to work on that. She was set on kissing Neal on their next date. She was a tad self-conscious of it, which is why Regina had walked in on her practicing on her pillow one day.

"Feeling lonely?" Regina had laughed as Emma had flushed and thrown the pillow at her.

"Go away!"

"I could help."

"Not interested," Emma had flushed even harder on those words as a still cackling Regina left the room, because in a sudden realization, she in fact  _was_  interested. What would it feel like kissing the demon's soft red inviting lips? But as quickly as those thoughts had appeared she had squashed them down.

She wouldn't think of her friend that way.

And thus, unkissed, she stumbled through her answer on Hook. "Yea, I guess I would kiss him." She hoped they'd leave her alone after this. She hated people supposing about her love life. And she always got so nervous at these events. The less she talked the better.

The crowd had whistled at that and Emma tried to ignore Killian's waggling eyebrows. He was hot looking but a total slimeball in person. He made sexual passes at all the women on set and she surely had just given him the wrong idea by saying that but oh well, she'd just get her demon to handle him later.

For she knew Regina had no short amount of dislike for this man. She had been the target of more than half his advances and she was sure one of these days the demon was going to erupt and render him limb from limb. Emma had caught the woman muttering under her breath more than once the things she'd do to him, and it had been so gruesome that it even left Emma shivering.

Another fan stood up to the microphone, and the question on their lips left Emma sighing heavily.

"Uh, I don't know if you are aware of this, but there's a fair number of people. Actually, a lot of people, that support the Vile ship, which pairs Raina and Amelia together. And I was just wondering what the cast and producers thought of this. Surely, there is undeniable tension between the two characters. It's not easy to miss. And I'm sure I'm not alone when I say this for the Vile fandom, but will anything ever be done about this? It seems smarter to put these two characters together rather than stick Amelia and Hook together."

This sparks an outburst from the crowd and they're all talking over each other. They have to be asked several times to calm down by the facilitators before anyone on the panel can speak.

"Who is this question directed to?" asks the main screenwriter.

"Everyone." Is the fan's reply before he sits down, content to wait on his answer.

Emma was dreading this kind of question. She had thought all of that had died down after she and Hook as an item were introduced. But it had only gotten stronger, the flames of fandom flaring into a possible conflagration that could erupt into a full scale internet battle between the Vile and CaptainVenus teams.

She couldn't take the altered photos of her and Regina together in the Vile fandom. It made her skin feel warm and she had to quickly entertain herself with something else or else her insides would proceed to twist up.

The director speaks up first. "We're aware of the ships for the show and while we do care and appreciate them all, the tension between Raina and Amelia was never written into the script. It was entirely the actors who sort of brought that to life."

"Regina and Emma, is that your agenda then? To promote Vile?" someone shouts out from the audience.

Regina notices Emma's uncomfortable expression and seemingly takes pity on the blonde. "To be honest, neither of us had consciously made the choice to create all this tension between ourselves. Perhaps it had arisen because of our long friendship- in how we are more comfortable with the boundaries of space between us. It might have had to do in part how we both interpreted our characters. However it came about to be, I do promise I won't change my acting style just because Emma is now paired up with Killian." There are appreciative whoops from the audience but Regina is not done speaking.

"But, I wouldn't be opposed to this ship happening. Though, Emma might have to brush up on her kissing skills first."

Laughter from the audience, and Emma flushes. That sneaky little demon! She wants to retort, something, anything, snappy, but she can't come up with anything on the spot so she settles for, "stop overexagerrating. I can't be that bad."

"Hmm, I wouldn't be too sure about that." Regina purrs and the crowd laughs some more. They are eating this interaction up and Regina just knows there's going to be excited posts on websites tomorrow speaking on how Regina supports the ship and wants it to happen along with speculations on her sexuality.

Emma's hands flex under the table and her skin prickles with anxiety and the room is too hot and she's not thinking when she growls out challengingly, "Why don't you see for yourself?"

It isn't until there are cheers and wolf whistles from the audience that Emma realizes what she has just said. She's invited Regina to basically kiss her. If she knew Regina could turn back time she'd order her to do it right now. Sadly, that's not in her skill set.

Regina- the audacity of her- laughs, and turns to the audience. "See, I think this might be where our friendship and the little jabs and jokes we play with each other might be translated into tension on the screen. Except, instead of teasing words, since those are scripted, it's more in our body language."

And Regina manages to smoothly move the conversation onto another topic, and Emma breathes out shakily, trying to regain her regular heartbeat. She barely gives satisfactory answers to a few questions directed at her for the rest of the evening before the panel is mercifully over and she is more than happy to go back home.

Of course, she's still pissed at Regina for putting her on the spot like that.

"The fuck was your reason for doing that?" Emma pulls Regina aside while the rest of the cast goes to sign some shirts for the fans.

She blinks slowly, takes in Emma's distressed stance. "I was merely trying to help you out."

"Yea, well you were doing a shitty job of it!"

Regina's lip quirks up and she folds her arms, tapping one long finger. "My, are you embarrassed? Shy about your lack of kissing skills?"

Emma is about to deny it, but they both know she can't without lying. "I am! Is it so wrong that I am? I don't- I've never had a chance to kiss anyone because my life sucked. And you keep interrupting mine and Neal's dates before we can kiss."

Regina's eyes flash angrily on Neal's name. And then she's leaning into Emma's space, boxing her in, hands planted beside Emma's head. The teen stumbles back but is met with wall. Regina brings her face close, eyes dark. "You don't need that boy," she hisses in distaste. Then slowly, she brings her face closer, too close, and she rubs her nose down the length of Emma's jaw. And Emma can feel her heart skip a beat, as goosebumps pebble her neck. She can feel heat radiating from Regina this closely, sense some sort of electricity crackling in the air between them, and she swallows heavily.

"I can give you anything you want and need. Anything." Her words carry a heated promise and Emma shoves the demon back hard.

"What is wrong with you?" she gasps, breathing too hard. Why is Regina acting this way? She doesn't understand.

But before Regina can answer, Robin finds them. "There you are," he addresses mostly Regina, smiling brightly at her. "The fans are calling for you two. They need their Vile shirts signed."

"Of course," Regina straightens her already prim shirt, having accomplished secretly putting reinforcing the special spell on Emma she had put with those touches, and strides away not sparing Emma a second glance. The blonde follows behind, more confused than anything else.

* * *

The finale of the second season airs not soon after and Emma has it on in the background while she's texting Neal. He's watching it right now and is complimenting her acting style among other sweet texts and questions about how she's doing. She really doesn't know why Regina is so opposed to him. He is kind and caring and cute and everything good in a guy. Now that his hectic work schedule and her's have calmed down, he had invited her on a date.

To his place.

Emma's not dumb enough to not know what that means. He wants some privacy with her. And that means potential kissing. She only hopes he doesn't think she kisses bad. He's heard about her latest panel and how Regina had mocked Emma for her kissing skills. Neal had reassured her that they couldn't be bad and that he was excited to test them out for himself.

Emma was psyched for this date, so she made sure to give extra explicit orders to Regina to make sure the demon stayed far away. "I don't need you interrupting me," Emma had explained. "As you so frequently do." Regina merely grit her teeth, the vein on her forehead standing out in her fury which she was forced to contain. Then Emma skipped over to her room and spent three hours planning an outfit and brushing her hair and doing her makeup. She wanted to look perfect for this date.

Arriving by human transportation to Neal's apartment to avoid risk of Regina messing with her, she stood on the front step and smoothed the front of her dress restlessly, shifting from foot to foot. She raised a tentative hand to knock when the door opened and Neal was on the other side, hair windswept and smile on his face.

Immediately a fog fell over Emma's mind and she smiled serenely at him. But the feelings his image invoked in her were not as strong as all the previous times she had seen him. She wonders why.

"Come on in," he said and she did, shutting the door behind her. They climbed up the stairs to his apartment where he had set up a brunch for them. It's eggs and toast, a steaming warm cup of tea by the side. "Did you make all this?" she asks, touched by his thoughtfulness as she sits down and tastes a sip of the tea. It's sweet and faintly tastes of mint.

He sits down across from her, not touching any of his food just yet. "No, I didn't actually make this," he admits with a sheepish grin. "Ruby helped me."

"Ruby?" Emma questions. Is that Neal's mom?

"That's me." Emma turns around and spots a brunette that is most definitely not his mom sitting on the kitchen counter top where it had been vacant before. She's wearing summer clothing despite it being the middle of fall right now. Her shorts do nothing to hide her long legs, and her red tank top is skimpy at best, the tops of her cleavage out and in the open. And her hair is full and luscious. How had she gotten here? And just who is she to Neal?

Emma feels indescribably jealous and glares at her through lids that seem heavier than before.

Ruby notices Emma's glare and gives a short bark of laughter, throwing her head back and letting her chest jiggle. "No need to glare at me like that, Emma," she sings the blonde's name at the end. She gets up and hips swaying, she slides on over to Neal, nearly draping herself on him.

Emma takes an angry sip of her drink, not knowing what else to do in light of this situation. Has Neal been lying to her?

"Me and Neal here aren't friends. And we aren't lovers." Ruby squeezes his shoulder and the two of them exchange knowing looks.

"Then what are you?" Emma mumbles and the cup slips from her grip in a sudden clumsy move. Her hands feel heavy and so do her eyes. Is she tired?

"Maybe you should take a nap first," Neal suggests not the least bothered by the mess of tea and shattered porcelain.

"No, I don't...want...a nap..." Emma continues to slur out while she panics internally. She's been drugged. That much she knows. And it's Neal whose done it to her. All of the times Regina's tried to warn her about him flash in her head, and she regrets that she hadn't listened to her before, just as her head hits the table.

* * *

Emma is spread out on the bed, sleeping soundly while Neal and Ruby stand watching her.

"Now what?" he asks, rubbing his chin. He's changed. He is no longer the sunny smiling boy from before; his voice is hard and his eyes even harder and he's got greed written into his flesh. "I did as you asked and seduced and tricked her here, even past that demon of hers."

Ruby rolls her eyes. "Oh please, as if you could have done that without the aid of my magic. My magic is what made her fawn over you."

"No, it didn't. At the best she was only enamored enough by me when I was physically next to her. The rest of the spell didn't work because her stupid demon kept getting in the way. Whatever magic she had cast on Emma without her notice, protected the blonde from being entirely susceptible." Neal huffed, planting his hands on his hips. "Let's not forget your other spell also didn't work for shit. The one that was supposed to cause her and Regina to fall out with one another and lead Emma to ending her contract voluntarily with her."

Ruby looked annoyed at Neal's criticisms. "Regina is a tough bitch, okay? She's not known as the Evil Queen for no reason. Her magic is to be reckoned with and thus the reason for why my magic spells have been lacking."

"I don't see why you have to complain. You were the one who scented Emma's soul and wanted it. I only agreed to it because it would give you more power, and save my own soul."

It was true. If Ruby took Emma's soul, than Neal would be able to live out the rest of his contract without repercussions. He would get out, with his soul intact and able to live his life in peace. Why Ruby wanted Emma's soul in the first place- Neal didn't really care about that, as long as he got to keep his.

Ruby growled in frustration at him. "Careful there, boy. Or else I might still be inclined to take your soul too."

He knew that was an idle threat. Demons couldn't do much to harm their masters while in contract. "And what are you going to do now in order to get her soul? She hasn't broken contract."

"I was going to put a compulsion spell on her. That should be enough to summon Regina, and have Emma tell her the contract is over."

Neal was a bit taken a back it was that simple, compared to the complexity of these past months schemes and efforts in securing Emma alone. "We just have to wake her."

With a snap of her fingers, Ruby effectively brought Emma back to the brink of consciousness.

The blonde let out a huge groan. Her head was throbbing. What had happened? She opened her eyes and startled in fright when she saw Ruby and Neal staring down at her. "You-!" she hissed out angrily as recollection sharply struck her. She tried to scramble up but Ruby raised a hand and Emma was suddenly frozen. All she could do was try to murder them with her stare.

Ruby had magic. She was Neal's contracted demon.

How had Emma failed to see this before?

"You're going to need to do something for us, Emma. Something very important. You're going to call Regina over here for us by using your tattoo and you're going to tell her you don't need her services. Break the contract." Ruby said this slowly, and once the message had gotten through, she nodded to Neal. "We have to leave. Now."

Emma's lips twisted up in refusal but she found she couldn't do anything but nod her head in understanding. And watch in horror as her own hand moved to her tattoo. Shit, she was in a bad situation and she didn't want Regina to get involved. Truth be told it was more for the sake of Emma's reputation. If Regina came in now, she would see that she had been right and she would gloat about it in Emma's face. Emma didn't want that. She'd rather suffer than suck up her pride. But no matter how hard she tried to stop her hand, she couldn't, and with a glow of her marks, Regina was summoned.

"I thought you didn't want me interrupting your precious little date with Neal," Regina sneered as soon as she arrived. She glanced down at Emma on the bed, all spread out and hair mussed up. "Already putting out for him?"

Emma tried to keep the words down in her throat but they choked and pricked at her, clawing at the back of her throat until it bleed. Her mouth was twitching and her head was shaking and she felt a giant pressure behind her eyes.

Regina saw this and the anger on her face melted. "What. What's wrong?" She asked softly and with a hint of urgency as she approached Emma on the bed. She smoothed down a couple of hairs from her place, her skin tingling at the touch. She could feel magic on Emma's skin. Magic that was wrong.

Tears leaked out of Emma's eyes and the words finally burst forth from her lips in one big rush. "I order you to break the contract between us."

Regina's brown eyes widened in shock. "You-you cannot be serious."

Emma wanted to shake her head no but she couldn't. All she could do was lie there immobile.

Now it was Regina's turn to fight against an order. She got up from the bed, her body tense and tight and her teeth were bared as the order battled her from the inside. Her features were tormented and she strode to the vanity in the room, peering into the mirror as she tried valiantly to fight it off. She knew something was off about this situation. She knew Emma wouldn't voluntarily do this. But for all her knowing, it wasn't enough to combat the most ancient of magics. She wasn't nearly powerful enough to do that. Her eyes blackened, her clawed grip on the dresser tightened, and then her eyes returned back to their normal color and her shoulders relaxed as she spoke in a slow defeated tone, having lost the fight.

"I, Regina Malum, absolve the contract between Emma Swan and I."

On her words the building shook and the skies darkened outside the windows, lightening and thunder striking momentarily before the clouds disappeared and the shaking stopped just as quickly as it had arrived. Emma cast a glance at her hand. The tattoo slowly began to fade away until it was gone and she felt something akin to panic take a hold of her. What the fuck was going to happen now?

Slow clapping filled the room. Ruby and Neal had reappeared, the brunette woman clapping. "Don't you just love it when things finally go downhill for the people you hate?"

"I should have known it was you," Regina snarled, whirling on her heel to glare at Ruby, barely restrained fury on her face. "Why cannot you stay out of my affairs!"

"And pass up such a juicy morsel? I must confess I had never expected to be at a comic panel passing my time by perusing trivial human matters only to scent such a delicious soul. I knew then that I had to have her, and Neal over here has been helping me get to her. You've been keeping her hidden and for good reason. I've never come across someone like her."

Emma shivered at those words and she felt undeniable guilt settle into her stomach. Regina had been right in keeping her hidden, or at least attempting to. Demons were only too eager to lap her soul up. But why? What was so special about her soul?

"You won't have her," Regina clenched her fists, her back rippling in tension. "I claimed her first!"

"And what's to stop me? She's no longer contracted to you. Her soul is fair game." Ruby tossed a small cube shaped object to Neal who caught it. "Get her soul Neal. I'm going to keep miss prissy face here occupied." Moving as fast as lightening, Ruby barreled into Regina and the two of them went crashing through the window in a shower of glass.

Emma eyed warily as Neal juggled the small cube in his hand. "So, it's just you and me, Emma." He smiled nastily at her. "No hard feelings between us, but I don't want to lose my soul to Ruby. I'm sure neither do you. But, one of us is going to have to, and I rather it be you and not me." He took a step closer.

A bead of sweat ran down Emma's face. She forced and begged her body to move. To obey to her desperate whims. But nothing.

A loud explosion came from outside setting off several car alarms. She wished she could call Regina back. She could feel the other woman's magic rolling under her skin, angry and biting and buzzing like a trapped bee. But she could no longer order the woman around and the loss of contract, while painless and uneventful, left her feeling vulnerable. Regina had nothing to tie her down to Emma. Nothing at all.

Would the brunette just leave her here? But no, she had said Emma was hers. That gave Emma a bit of hope. And that hope helped fuel her.  _Regina, come save me!_  She said over and over again in her head, all the while trying to move.

She was grunting with effort and Neal eyed her with amusement. "You know. I kinda liked you. We could have been friends in another life. Maybe actually a boyfriend and girlfriend. But, sadly this is not that. And living while under contract with a demon can get lonely. It's meant to be lonely. So we couldn't have been anything. No, nothing at all," Neal said this a touch wistfully and Emma would have felt bad for him if he wasn't such a giant prick.

"This wasn't supposed to take this long to happen. It was only supposed to take a month, this mission. But now it's taken six, and its all thanks to that demon bitch of yours. We couldn't risk her getting in the way. We hadn't even known you had a demon. And she's a real annoying one to boot. Kept interrupting our dates, making the magic cast on you to make you love me as ineffectual as possible."

Emma's mind rolled at that. She had been magicked to feel this way about him? Cold fury filled her bones and she could feel whatever hold that Ruby had put on her begin to falter. Her skin crackled with static and she felt the buzzing under her epidermis increase violently until it was intense and painful.

"Don't look at me like that," he scoffed. "Something had to be done to convince you to my side." He shrugged unapologetically. Took another step forward until he was right by the foot of the bed. He lifted the cube up. It began to glow a dark blue.

"This is going to hurt. A lot."

* * *

The fight outside was a blur. To mortal eyes it would incomprehensible. Good thing all the humans had been scared off long ago, because if not, they would have become causalities of this maelstrom of magic and anger swirling on the streets. Steaming craters and fires littered the path of destruction Regina and Ruby's fight garnered. Ruby had knocked Regina right out the window, hoping to gain the upper hand by element of surprise; by striking first. In the years of her habituating the human world she had grown cocky. Assured in her own powers. That would be her downfall.

"You seem to have forgotten why it is they call me the Evil Queen," Regina snarled as she wrestled with Ruby. The younger brunette had transformed into her werewolf form in hopes that it would be enough to defeat Regina. It wasn't.

Regina had Ruby up by the neck after her futile and quick struggle, holding her up from the ground, other hand digging into her guts, unspooling her entrails. Ruby's claws scrabbled at Regina's hand, shredding it to the bone but still she held on, nails sinking into the soft furry flesh of Ruby's neck, blood spilling freely.

"Seem to have forgotten why other demons in the seven rings of hell know my name and quiver and fear it." Regina jerked hard and pulled more guts out, some lying by her feet, blood splattering on her Louis Vuitton shoes and her usually pristine clothing. Ruby let out a pained cry which was crushed by Regina increasing the pressure on her windpipe. "So let me remind you why I leave the Devil himself shaking in his boots." Regina dug in deeper, up in her elbow in gore, fingers curling around Ruby's heart. It beat frantically at her touch.

"No one crosses the Evil Queen, no one takes what belongs to her and gets away with it!"

Just as Regina was about to pull the plug, an explosion of magic distracted her. It came from the room Emma had been in, trapped with Neal. Regina recalled Ruby giving Neal a cube, a magic object that demons used to collect their souls in. Each demon had their own design of the soul container. Regina's were apples and Ruby's must have been cubes.

White magic radiated out in a circular wave from the building. Was it too late? Was Emma's soul already captured?

The distraction allowed Ruby to regain her freedom. Welling up some last reserves of her vastly depleted magic, her form began to shift once more. Her body was covered in yellow light as she grew and expanded, causing Regina to relent her grip and stumble back.

Ruby's form increased in quadruple the size until soon she was a brownish gray wolf the size of the apartment complexes around her. Any traces of human resemblance had disappeared as her true demonic form arose. Spikes stuck out from her back, stuck on them whole human bodies like human shishkababs. They were still alive and moaning in pain; souls that were cursed to eternal damnation because of a contract with her. Her eyes shone red, literal flames erupting from them and flaring around her face. Her jaws were full of sharp twisted teeth oozing with black poison. Wherever the liquid fell it sizzled the streets, burning right through.

Her tail lashed angrily behind her, barbed and full of poisonous bristles. She opened her mouth and let out an ear splitting screech, the wind from her cry ripping up cars and other debris and flinging them right at Regina. She erected a shield to block them in time, watching casually and unimpressed by the other demon's efforts until the wind died down.

Ruby's transformation had healed all the damage she had occurred and it tapped into her true potential. A demon's final form was supposed to be it's strongest.

Regina wasn't worried in the least.

"You may want to get a breath mint. Your breath is simply horrid."

Ruby only snarled at that and charged right at Regina, the earth shaking with each giant paw thump, wickedly curved claws sinking into the earth. Regina calmly took off her heels so she could have a steadier balance. She was in no mood for Ruby's continued efforts. She had to go save Emma. "Lets speed this up, shall we?"

* * *

Emma saw the cube opening up, getting wider, impossibly wider. Like the maw of a monster, and she freaked out. It sounded like a vacuum and it began to suck the very breath out of her lungs, pulling her into an upright position. She clutched the bed sheets as she struggled to remain conscious, pricks of white dancing in front of her eyes. She couldn't breath, could feel her lungs compress tightly, hair flapping wildly. It felt like it was trying to suck everything out of her. It sucked the moisture out of her eyes, took the warmth from her skin, and even worse it began to suck out her soul.

"Don't try to fight it," Neal warned. "It's only going to prolong the pain."

That only made Emma want to fight more. Neal cocked his head at her resolve, at her vain attempt to clamp her lips tightly together. "You think your demon will jump in and save you? Don't forget that pretty demon of yours is only in it for your soul. She couldn't care less about the rest of you. She was going to do this to you a couple of years from now anyways. So really, I'm saving you from that."

A thin wisp of white curled out of her mouth, slowly and tentatively. She watched in dread as it almost made it's way to the cube.

_Fuck._

_Fuckity fuck!_

She couldn't let this happen. She wouldn't let this happen.

The buzzing under her skin finally erupted due to her desperation. A wave of white energy radiated outwards, catching Neal and sending him through the closed door and out of sight.

Emma collapsed with gasped breath onto the bed sheets, trying to regain her bearings. Slowly the surroundings around her came back into focus.

A loud roar from outside stopped her relaxation short. The sound was positively blood curling and she wished nothing more than to flee inexplicably. Just what was going on out there? She felt concerned for Regina. Was she in danger?

Speaking of danger, what had happened to Neal? What had that odd energy been? Where had it come from? She no longer felt that buzzing sensation. In fact, she felt almost relieved. And her soul-?

She got off the bed, surprised to find herself able to move. The cube lay on the floor, looking useless. It seemed her soul was safe...

Red and black lights washed in from the broken window and along with the sound of demonic animalistic cries that would haunt her nights for weeks on end sent her running to the door that Neal had crashed through. She saw his body lying still at the bottom of the stairs, at an unnatural angle.

Swallowing deeply and walking slowly down the stairs on shaking legs, she collapsed to her knees and silently looked on into his glassy eyes.

She didn't need to feel his pulse to know what had happened.

* * *

Regina caught the charging wolf head on, digging her feet into the ground as she pushed against the force being exerted on her. Trenches were left behind as she grit her teeth and pushed back hard, skin on her hands bubbling due to contact with the poison in the wolf's saliva. Her suit jacket sleeves ripped at the seams as the material gave out from being forced past its limits.

Ruby's charge had forcefully been stopped and the demonic wolf growled it's disapproval. Its claws scrabbled at the ground uselessly as it attempted to move forwards but found that it couldn't. "Thought you could hurt me in this form? You are a thousand years too early for me," Regina smirked cockily. Then allowing her magic to coil from deep inside her, she directed it up into her hands, jettisoning the ten thousand volt charge right into Ruby. The wolf sprung back, shaking it's head, fur sparking and sizzling. The human souls attached to her let out agonizing cries.

Given a short moment of respite, Regina ripped the sleeves of her jacket off completely, dropping them to the ground. Opening up a small portal that lead into her Vault, a personal space of hers that lay between both the earth realm and that of the demons, she reached in with her hand blindly and pulled out one of her trusty weapons. It was a saber. Classy and elegant like her.

She was going to need it to finish Ruby off. Regina's magic wasn't nearly as effective against Ruby when she was in her final form, and Regina wasn't going to allow a bug like her the honor of pulling out her own demonic transformation. Ruby didn't deserve it.

With a running jump she launched herself into the air and jabbed the metal right into Ruby's eye, and to her brain. Ruby screeched in pain, another gust of air coming from her mouth and rattling the very heavens. She shook her head to try and get Regina off but the demon pulled free and landed safely back on the ground, sizing up Ruby's weak spots.

There was only one way to truly get rid of a demon.

And it would only take Regina three moves to do it.

"I'm coming Emma," she promised and then went for Ruby's gullet.

* * *

She had never killed anyone before.

It had always been Regina who had done it.

A pesky girl talking smack? Regina smacked her so hard she'd break her neck.

A boy being too clingy and harassing her with unwanted sexual advances? Regina would string him up by his entrails.

Regina had done everything for her. Had taken all the blame for her actions. Regina had protected her.

 _Regina. Regina_. She chanted her friend's name like a mantra. She needed to see the woman. Needed her to...to do something to fix this mess.

She stumbled out to find her, vision hazy and breaths ragged. But she didn't make it more than five steps.

Emma dropped to her knees, devastated and overcome with emotions. She had thought she could trust Neal. Could trust at least one other person beside herself and Regina. She thought Neal had been genuine, but it had all been a lie. A facade that she had fallen for hook, line and sinker.

She hated herself for being so stupid. For being so naive.

She hated Neal for tricking her like this. For casting a stupid love spell on her.

And she hated Regina for being right all along. For trying to warn her. To tell her.

Tears streamed down Emma's face and she let out a pitiful wail as the sobs began to rack her body. She clutched her hands to her chest, feeling like her heart was being scooped out. Like she had a hole where it had once been. At some point Regina had finally made it back to her and she was standing there, looking for once in her life a mess. Her hair was disheveled and sticking up on one side. Blood coated her ripped business clothes. She was limping and her hands were scorched. Her outside chaos mirrored the internal one in Emma.

"Why can't I have someone to love me?" she blubbered out. "Why is-why is someone always trying to use me?"

Regina knelt down next to her. She was bloodied and bruised but not beaten and she scooped Emma up in her hold. "Emma," she started softly.

"No, don't say anything. Don't fucking say anything! You were right and you don't get to rub it in my fucking face right now. Not when you're only using me too." Neal's earlier words are haunting her.

 _Don't forget that pretty demon of yours is only in it for your soul. She couldn't care less about the rest of you,_  he had sneered looking so vile and reprehensible in that moment.

"Emma." Sighed softly and into Emma's hair. "Don't mistake my intentions. I may have signed on only for your soul at the start, but that's not the case anymore for me. When I care for you, it is because I care for you as a person."

"You're just lying to me!" Emma shook hysterically. "Leave me alone!" But she didn't remove herself from Regina's hold which only tightened more.

"No, Emma. I won't ever leave you alone," was the grave promise and Regina pressed a hand to the back of Emma's head to keep her in place as she slowly rocked them back and forth in an effort to subdue the blonde.

Among the ruined shell of the apartment, Neal's dead body off to the left and Ruby's somewhere already shredded to pieces outside on the streets, Regina sang a soft melody to Emma.

The strange Latin slowly lulled Emma to sleep and the blonde closed her eyes to the warmth of Regina's body, willing this awful day out of her memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regina Malum just means Evil Queen in Latin


	9. A Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

* * *

_Meet me on the battlefield/ even on the darkest night/ I will be your sword and shield, your camouflage and you'll be mine- Battlefield, Svrcina_

* * *

"What do you mean you lost the contract!" Screeched out a voice.

Regina tried very hard not to wince at it, but coupled with who the voice belonged to, it would be a task in vain. "Mother-"

"Don't, mother me, you useless waste of space! I knew I should have eaten you after I spawned you. You've done nothing but fail me, completely unable to fulfill the singular task of keeping Emma in a contract with you! It was your only job!" Mother had begun to pace around angrily, heels stabbing into the sun baked earth of the demonic realm as her long black dress trailed behind her like an angry storm cloud. In the background a river of lava flowed and it bubbled and burst in time with mother's aggravated words.

"Find the girl, enter into a contract with her, keep her safe, and then deliver her soul to me," Cora muttered to herself. "But no!" Now she swiveled on her heel to glare down at Regina who was kneeling on the rough earth in penance and subservience. "It was too much for you to do."

"There were extenuating circumstances. Unknown variables. Emma was making the contract difficult. She would not listen to my advice in keeping hidden and thus another demon was able to track her down. If she had only allowed me to do things my way, Emma would never had been in danger. And mother, you know that I cannot go against a master's wishes, so when she ordered me to break the contract, I had to break it."

If Regina had been hoping for sympathy or in the very least understanding, she was wrong. Cora's nostrils flared and she took big intimidating steps towards Regina, eyes glowing malignantly. "Are you telling me you are weak?" she hissed, snatching out a hand and grabbing Regina painfully by her hair, causing her to sit up. "That you couldn't even break the order?" Regina remained silent. There was no way to get her mother to understand the magical binding of the contract. She had felt like she would die if she didn't acquiescence to the order, and she knew if her plans and her mother's plan were to work, she couldn't die, so she had broken the contract. "I didn't raise you to be weak," Cora spat for good measure and Regina winced as the acidic spit sizzled down her face, eating a hole in her cheek. Cora let go of Regina's hair and the brunette slumped down, relishing in the freedom.

There were only a handful of things Regina feared in her entire existence, and Cora made up three of them. The other two were love (love was weakness as her mother so often reminded her) and vacuums (something so innocent should not sound like it was a voracious monster about to consume her). Cora was ruthless, blood thirsty, always angry; a true demon to the core. And she was powerful. To her power was everything and she had raised Regina to be like a miniature version of herself, beating her lessons brutally into her skin and torturing her in the pits of Tartarus when she failed. And oh, were there many failures. Nothing Regina did was ever good enough for Cora. And Cora would remove those issues as she did always-violently. She wasn't called the Queen of Hearts without good cause. Wherever she went, she left a trail of blood and empty chest cavities where hearts should be. Daniel had been one of her victims.

She had ruined him and he was never the same again. And neither was Regina. She didn't know if she could trust her heart with love once more, because she knew her mother would see to destroying it.

"No mother, you did not," Regina conceded. "You raised me to be strong, and clever, and I will be able to find a way to enter into contract with Emma once more. She is hurting right now from betrayal and she will need me by her side. I will deliver her soul to you."

Cora sized Regina up; deciding if her words had merit. Regina swallowed nervously and tried to keep her eyes steady and confident. At last Cora scoffed, turning her back to her child. "You had better. The fate of both our worlds relies on it."

With that Regina was dismissed and she found herself back in Emma's bedroom. It was small and dark, and not the one they had called home in California for they had moved out of that state as if the Devil himself had been licking at their heels. Emma lay hunched up under the covers, hair a mess, and only clothed in an oversized t-shirt. She had been lying like that for hours now, staring vacantly at the closed windows.

Regina watched her for a while, not able to help the stab of pity in her chest. Over the years she had grown to care for the girl. More than she should have. Emma could be annoying and stubborn and hopelessly childish at times, but she was also funny, and warm and mischievous. And she was strong. Regina couldn't have Emma give up now. She needed the girl. She needed her soul. And she needed it corrupted.

Regina's heart rebelled a little at that thought. Years ago there had been no doubt that she would snatch up Emma's soul without hesitation and use it for malignant reasons. But now... now she wasn't so sure. Handing Emma's soul over to Cora would result in a whole eternity of pain for the blonde.

Regina shook her head to ground herself. There was no time to get mushy; to allow human feelings to weaken her. She was here on a mission. A mission that would improve the fate of demons.

"Emma, are you...how are you faring?" Regina asked softly, sitting down on bed next to Emma. The blonde's eyes flickered up to her but then back to the wall. She didn't speak.

Regina cleared her throat. She was never good at emotional things. Seduction, evil world domination, ruining people's lives, those were things she was more comfortable with. But feelings? No, not feelings. She awkwardly rubbed Emma's ankle, the skin cold under her hands.

"Do you want to talk about this? We probably should. I know it was a shock. A giant one. And I am not at all happy that I was right. I just wish we could have avoided all that unpleasantness."

Regina looked on at Emma, noting the blonde's mouth slowly opening. "Why do you smell like smoke?" she asked at last, her voice dry from disuse. It wasn't the question the demon had been expecting.

Regina couldn't tell her the whole truth, but she could tell a white lie. "I was in hell. I went to go see if Neal's soul was there."

"And?"

"He...was."

A nod from Emma. "Good."

More silence after that.

Silence made Regina uncomfortable.

"I was thinking perhaps we could take a vacation? Somewhere warm and far away from here. Maybe the tropics? What do you say to a private island. Nobody but you and me around for miles. Sitting on a beach, swimming in crystal clear waters, getting tan, drinking and eating our cares away." Regina squeezed Emma's leg. "What do you say?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what, dear?"

"Being nice to me. Sticking around with me. You're not contractually obligated to me anymore."

"No...I'm not." Regina bit her bottom lip. She hadn't expected the human to note this this quickly, hoping she'd wallow in pity some more so Regina could reinstate the contract before such thoughts became apparant. "But...I'm concerned for you. I know I owe you nothing but you need someone by your side more than ever now. Your soul is too powerful. And it's bound to attract other demons to you. You'll have no means of fighting them off. Of protecting yourself. And if you're not in contract they can steal your soul like this," Regina snapped her fingers to demonstrate.

"Why is my soul so powerful? What was that...weird white energy that flowed from me and killed...Neal," her voice hitched on his name. She couldn't tell what she was more depressed about. His betrayal, her inadvertently killing him, or her near death experience. Maybe it was all three.

"I don't know the answer to everything Emma. I wish I did. Some people are just born with powerful souls and are destined to lead lives of suffering. Others have weak souls and are the cause of much suffering. And as for the energy, that was magic. You must have been able to tap into my magical stores through the contract and used it to protect yourself."

"I wasn't in a contract then, Regina," Emma pointed out.

"No, no I guess you weren't," she mussed. "Maybe it was residual...?" she trailed off and stilled her motions on Emma's leg, looking at the covered window. She could make out blue skies past the cracks. She knew where the magic had come from. She hadn't expected Emma to be able to tap into it, but she had, and that could be another problem to add to the long list of issues that Regina had to watch out for to keep Emma safe from learning her own true nature.

Emma sighed and shifted and sat up this time, looking right at Regina. There were bags under her eyes and her orbs looked glassy, like she wasn't all there. "And what would you do with my soul, Regina? I'm not some naive ten year old, swayed by the promise of power. I've tasted that power, and I know what it can do. Why should I come back to it. Why should I come back to you?"

"Because I need you," Regina blurted out without thinking. And she did. She'd be damned to admit this out-loud but Emma was the closest thing she had to a friend. To someone she could talk to. Demons often laughed and looked down their noses at humans, calling them weak and greedy and so corruptible, but that wasn't always true. Demons weren't at all any better-true they had the reputation of being inherently evil and most were, but that didn't mean there weren't ones who were in her opinion worse than humans. And she had definitely never found good company with them. Cora's reputation had seen to others being too afraid to approach her daughter and Regina had done nothing to dissuade the notion. Better to be feared than respected.

With Emma it was different. Her and the blonde both were often lonely-didn't quite fit in with their society. So she couldn't help feel a connection. She had never expected the human to grow on her like this, but she had, and she was suddenly loathe to not have any connection between the two of them.  _And I need her for her soul,_  she reminded herself because that first and foremost should be the reason why she was going to try to charm the human back into a contract.

Gently she cupped Emma's chin in her hand and tried to pour all her energies into coming off as genuine and enticing enough that Emma would be begging her back for the contract. "Emma, I've never been in a contract before with anyone else." That much was true, which led Regina to wonder if these feelings of attachment and adoration to Emma were naturally a part of the contract process or if this was a rare one off.

 _Don't you dare start this again with me,_  she warned her heart. She did not want to make too deep of an emotional attachment because she knew her mother would find it and rip it right out. "Which makes this something special for me. I haven't decided what I want to do with your soul, but I do want to protect you."

"You mean, protect my soul. You don't care for me as a person. No one does. All they care about is this stupid soul." And suddenly Emma was sobbing, violently shaking with each sob.

Regina wrapped her arms around the girl in a hug, trying to comfort her. To give her some of her strength. "That's not true Emma. That isn't at all true."

"And how would you know? I have no friends, no one to call my family, or to call my lover. Even you are only around because of a contract we had, and I had thought you my best friend because I'm just so pathetic. Why do I even exist if no one cares for my existence?"

Regina wanted to refute her point but she couldn't in good conscious tell the girl about her own problems, problems that were all too similar to Emma's own.

Emma's hands clawed at Regina's back and Regina pulled the blonde in tighter, not caring that the human's tears were staining her shirt front. "Then I will follow you where you will go, but without the contract. I don't need it. I don't need it to keep me next to you."

Regina's mother would be pissed to hear this, and Regina could already feel the sting of a thousand whip lashes against her back, but it would be worse to lose Emma forever by pushing her too hard, than be able to be by her side and regain her trust slowly, and be there to protect her soul until it was time to collect it.

"I'm not dumb. I know you can still collect my soul without the contract." Emma had in no way been ready to give up her soul when Neal had tried to steal it from her, but in a way she felt soothed by the thought Regina might take it. She didn't mind the demon taking it; after all, when Emma made a promise, she held to it. "But, I do owe you a soul. You've been doing all this shit for me, and putting up with me, and I don't think it's right to keep what is yours from you. All this soul has done is cause me trouble anyways. You can have it." Emma's tears dried up and her cries calmed down as she came to this conclusion.

Regina pulled back to look Emma in the eye, having to make sure she wasn't joking.

"Are you...sure?" she asked haltingly.

"Sure, you're just using me anyways, either way I look at it, contract or no."

Regina wished Emma didn't think it was just that. Regina did care for the human, more than any demon had a right to.

Emma shrugged. "Besides, I have a request of you." She was feeling particularly vengeful and against the male populace especially. She hadn't had a need to lash out like this in years, but the hurt was here and it was too strong and she needed an outlet for it. "How does going around and destroying happy marriages sound to you?"

"Delightful," Regina's lips curved up in a delighted smile. It was good to see Emma looking more alive. There was anger on her face now, and the girl stood to her feet, drawing the curtains apart and shedding light. The room lit up, making the blonde girl's locks glow in an almost heavenly fashion.

"And then, we can go to that private island for a nice long break."

* * *

After causing the divorce rate to spike sharply up, the two women retired to a bright island that Regina found somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. It wasn't big, Emma being able to walk the length of it in an hour, but that was good, because they were less likely to be spotted by ships and bothered.

Most of it was beaches, complete with palm trees and clear water. In the inland part, Regina had conjured up a modern house and spa center, all with access to the Internet and luxuries like toilets and running water, providing that Emma would never have to step a foot off the island to get something. Food was in abundance and so was relaxation. Emma spent all her days either lounging out in the sun, drinking, or out swimming or adventuring on the island and learning how to survive in the wilds.

They hadn't told the show producers they were leaving, so the current headlines in the papers were all about the disappearance of Once Upon a Crime's top stars. There was no clue as to where they had gone, or even come from, because searches on their names lead to no results. It was like they effectively hadn't existed. Fans and cops and news reporters were left scratching their heads and Emma couldn't say she didn't feel a little sorry about what had happened. She had enjoyed the show despite the troubles it brought her and it was sad to see a creation of hers unable to be finished like it should be.

But she really couldn't stand to be around others now. She needed to be alone, needed to relax. Already being here for just two months had made her feel so much better. She'd already more or less put Neal's betrayal out of her mind. However, that had more to do with Regina herself than the sun and sand.

The demon had taken to wearing scantily made bikinis that should be illegal. If Emma thought Regina looked good in business clothes, than she looked even better in less clothes. Her curves were out in the open as were her shapely legs and generous breasts. Emma had a hard time not gawking at her like some teenaged boy and had in fact ordered Regina to wear something more covering. Regina had rolled her eyes but done as asked, putting on a little robe of sorts. Still, the sight of the demon made her mouth dry and her skin warm and she had tried to focus on books or on closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep rather than staring. It worked.

Sometimes.

But her shaky facade would fail when Regina offered to spread sunscreen lotion on Emma's back. The blonde couldn't resist that offer, the offer of Regina touching her, and she would lie down on the blanket on her stomach and hate herself but be excited at the same time that she was doing this.

Regina would plant both knees around Emma's hips and take her time to make sure that every inch of Emma's back was thoroughly covered. It felt really nice and Emma had to stifle back the moans she wanted to let loose. She knew she shouldn't be doing this. Shouldn't be indulging in her rapidly growing feelings for Regina because first off, the brunette was a demon, and well, that really was the crux of the issue. All the other issues sort of stemmed out from that. Like the fact that Regina was out of Emma's league. Was Regina even into woman? There was all those times the demon had come onto Emma but that was the demon just being a demon. And was a demon even capable of love? Regina said she cared for Emma, and not for contractual reasons. Was it too much to hope it was true?

Such thoughts tormented Emma on the regular and she would smile at Regina's inquires of if everything was okay, pushing the concerns to the back of her head. She took to picking up drawing, guitar playing, and karate as a way to keep her mind distracted. It only worked for as long as she was engaged in the activity and she cursed her stupid mind for constantly thinking about Regina.

The demon was her same snarky self, occasionally goading Emma into some mischievous actions. Sometimes they'd head back to the mainland just to reek some chaos to break up the monotony of the island life. Still, that wasn't enough, and Emma found herself admiring the way Regina's fingers would deftly move as they cast magic on their latest victims. Or how her eyes shone with barely concealed mirth. Or how great her ass looked in that dress-

Ugh, what was Emma to do? She wished she could stop thinking this way. She must have gained feelings for Regina because the demon was the only person that Emma could deal with. Everyone else was out for her soul, or seeing to use her in some manner.

So the feelings had to be largely fabricated because of the situation, and not because Emma actually liked Regina. It was crazy. How could she fall in like with a demon? They were monstrous creatures, full of menace, and danger and evil! With bodies made for seduction and velvety tones that could call an angel to sin.

But that didn't dissuade Emma's thoughts. She knew that she had seen too much of the demon's human side and how caring she could be-or pretend to be- and Emma wasn't blind. She couldn't stop admiring the aesthetics of the demon. She often found herself sketching the other woman absentmindedly.

"Is that a sketch of me in the nude?" Regina had teased as she came up behind Emma, leaning down to look at the doodle, her chest dangerously close to the back of Emma's head.

Emma startled and blushed, going to hide her work but stopping when she realized it was too late for that. "No, it's just-I'll put clothes on later. It's just-muscles. You gotta start with the muscles first-!"

Regina picked the picture up and admired it. "Not bad for a beginner. You've got most of the lines right, but," at this Regina set the drawing pad back down and took the hand Emma was holding her pencil in and began to direct it over the paper. Emma was quiet as she watched Regina move their hands together. She could feel her heart beating a bit too harshly at the touch and swallowed down thickly. She was too aware of the heat coming from Regina's body as the demon pressed down closer to her, resting the weight of her rack on the younger girl's shoulders. Too aware of the spicy smell wafting from her. Too aware of the scratch of the pencil on paper as Regina's warm hand pushed on Emma's.

At last the demon let go and Emma was disappointed at the lack of contact. "There."

Emma admired the new additions and found they were stunningly better. Regina was staring up at her from the page, smirking, crisp business clothes on. The drawing on her pad looked like it was about to leap off the page. "Of course you can draw perfectly too. Is there anything you can't do?" Emma muttered, feeling a touch jealous.

"When you have centuries of time on your hands, you find yourself picking up hobbies to do something," Regina explained, shrugging casually, like this was nothing amazing. "So no, there isn't anything I cannot do."

"I suppose I can forgive your arrogance now that I know you can do anything," Emma smirked and picked the picture up. She was going to frame it.

"Yes. Anything," Regina said in a lower tone, and Emma felt a shiver roll down her back.

She should order a ban on Regina from saying those words in those tones. But doing so would alert the demon to too much of Emma's feelings.

If only she could have something to truly distract her...

Emma was soon going to find out that she should be careful for what she wishes for.

It was five days later that a huge storm was brewing out on the ocean. It was dark and menacing and the skies were an awful bruise color.

"Will that hit us?" Emma had asked in worry, staring at it from her balcony. A heavy wind picked up her blonde hair and whipped it behind her.

"It won't," Regina assured as she strode up next to her. "I cast a protection spell on the whole island. We might get some light drizzle but the storm should pass us unharmed." Regina eyed the fearful look on Emma's face. "Scared? Want me to sleep next to you?"

There was only a hint of mocking in Regina's voice because she knew about Emma's issue with thunderstorms. When the blonde had been younger as punishment her foster father would throw her out into them and not let her back into the house. Now she was afraid of the thunderous claps and the bright flashes of light.

"Yes." Emma's hold on the balcony railing tightened and Regina freed her hands from their vice like hold, squeezing the fingers in reassurance.

She took the blonde to bed, changed them into pjs with a snap of her fingers, and tucking the both of them under the covers she wrapped her arms around the blonde. Emma kept her eyes closely closed and Regina began to hum a lullaby that would soothe her into the reaches of slumber.

Eventually Emma drifted off, the furrow of her brow relaxing. As Regina held the human in her arms, she couldn't but help from smiling softly. It was so strange how this human was still showing her trust despite the fact that Regina was such an evil being, could easily hurt her now that they still weren't under contract.

Emma had insisted Regina make another one because she was tired of being hunted down for her soul and she didn't have anyone to live for after this anyways. Regina had refused, saying she did not want to, that things were fine this way, that she did not need a contract to stick by Emma.

"That is some reverse psychology bullshit you're trying to pull on me. I know you want my soul, so why don't you take it?" Emma had screamed, near tears. This was a couple months back when Emma was still hurting from betrayal and was mistrustful and just depressed over everything. Regina didn't like seeing the blonde like this. Emma had always been smiling or cackling joyfully and strong and tough no matter what types of mischief they chased down. To think one boy could have damaged her so...

"I promise you, it is not reverse psychology," Regina had said in a soothing tone. "I will take your soul only as the prior contract dictated, and not now. You are depressed and you're not thinking clearly."

Emma had merely slumped down against the couch pillows at this, thin shoulders shaking.

"I'm trying to do the good thing here," Regina had grasped Emma's shoulders.

"Demon's can't be good."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean all of us are bad. You'll be surprised. People and demons are more alike than you'd feel comfortable with," Regina had whispered wistfully.  _We both can have horrid family lives,_  Regina thought back briefly to her mother and how that woman had taken anything good from her life. Killed her father and ate him because he was too weak of a demonic mate, and then stolen Daniel's heart and prevented Regina and him from having a happy life together. And now Cora was including Regina on this insane mission of hers, trying to shape her into a miniature version of herself.

Regina wanted no part in it, but the fear of the repercussions of what her mother would do to her were far too terrifying to refuse.

Emma snorted but said nothing as she drew her legs into her chest. She sat there, staring off into the distance even as Regina sat next to her. Frowning, for she couldn't have her little human acting like this, she conjured up a cup of warm tea and said, "I'll be back."

She traveled all the way over to Purgatory where she knew that Neal's soul was currently being kept. He was awaiting cleansing-apparently his actions in life had not been vile enough to warrant a one way ticket to hell.

As the crumbling and peeling doorways of purgatory came into view, Regina let out an irritated sigh. She really hated this place. Always congested, loud, and smelling of bologna sandwiches. She roughly pushed through the two long lines of people waiting to get in. Some cried out in annoyance at her interruption but she ignored them and made it to where a man in a powdered wig and judicial robes was sitting at a podium. His half moon spectacles had sunk deeply into his sagging cheeks and he was reading names off of his long list in a voice as slow as molasses.

"Gary Whiteman, age 56, you may now enter the-"

"Gatekeeper," said Regina.

"-gates of purgatory so that-"

"Gatekeeper!"

"-you may-"

Losing patience, Regina lit the man's sheet on fire. He stared at it for a while before he looked up, and in a monotone voice, "return to your spot on the line. There is no cutting-"

"I'm not a soul. I'm here to collect something that is mine."

"Than you will have to wait-"

"I think not. You must not know who I am." A glimpse of Regina's true form flashed across her face and the man's eyes flicked wide open and he fell right off his chair.

"E-e-e-e-vil Q-q-queen-"

"Just let me in already. I don't have time for your stuttering," Regina rolled her eyes, secretly pleased she still got this reaction out of other magical beings.

The man got back up to his feet and with a trembling hand pressed a buzzer to open some door off to her right. She strode right through it and instantly put the sleeve of her jacket up to her nose to ward off the stench of desperation and rotten eggs in the air. She was standing on top of a cliff and looking down onto the scene below her. Everywhere was gray and grab and mist rolled off of the ground. Souls shuffled around moaning and groaning like a horde of zombies.

And where was Neal from all of them...?

She lifted up her hand and muttered a simple locator spell. A thin yellow line formed from her hand and unraveled away into the mist. It went on for miles and miles until at last it snagged onto the unlucky man. Wrapping tightly around his neck, it yanked him up and he speedily zoomed right over to where Regina stood.

"Neal." Her lips curled up in distaste. The scoundrel of a man who had tried to take her Emma away. He stared blankly at her, his face ashen and eyes dead. Then with him still on the leash she left Purgatory and reappeared in Emma's room. The blonde jumped at the sudden arrival, her eyes going wide at what she saw.

"Is...is that, Neal?"

Regina nodded her head. "I thought you might enjoy getting your hands on him and teaching him a thing or two."

Emma gave the whole of Neal a look. Her heart clenched in pain and her hands curled up into fists, but there was no point in doing anything to him now.

"What's the use. He's dead already and it will not bring me satisfaction to hurt him when he cannot even react."

Regina felt a tad disappointed that Emma would not do anything. In fact, the blonde seemed even more sad. That was not what the demon had been going for. Picking nice gifts out for humans was hard. And there was no way she was going to go back and return his soul. He didn't deserve redemption. Instead she waved up a jar and stuffed the entirety of his soul into it. Then she dropped the jar into a portal directly leading to her Vault.

Maybe she could still use his soul for something later.

Thankfully, Regina was spared from having to try too hard in cheering the human up in more human means, because time was the best of healers as it turned out. The passage of time on the island brought Emma a much more relaxed state of mind, and it gave Regina some piece of mind as well. Here, she knew the two of them would be safe not only from other demons, from dangerous humans, but also from Cora and her machinations. So she relaxed. Let her guard down.

She shouldn't have done that.

* * *

The storm brought an unexpected visitor that next day.

As Regina and Emma crawled out of bed, the blonde hating to relent the strong and safe hold of the brunette, they went on a walk to survey if any damage had gotten through the barrier. They were expecting some broken trees, the washed up remains of an unfortunate ship.

But not, "Robin."

The bedraggled man lay unconscious on their beach. Still, and bleeding and looking like his clothes had gone through a blender, but alive.

Emma and Regina exchanged curious looks.

"What do we do with him?"

"We interrogate him," Emma concluded. "No one is supposed to be here but us." How had he gotten through the protective shield's Regina had put up?

They conjured up a cot and waited for him to wake up. Neither of them felt comfortable bringing him indoors. Emma threw stones into the small stream that gurgled next to them while Regina cooked up some skewers on the grill for them to eat.

"Why can't you just wake him up?" Emma asked. "It would be so much easier than waiting."

"Because I sense magic on him."

"Magic?" Emma's blood ran cold. Was this going to be another situation like Neal?

"Yes. And I do not know why or how he has gotten involved with it. Never did he have magic on him before. It must be a new occurrence. That is why we must wait for him to wake up by himself. We don't know what the magic on him will do if we force it."

Emma nodded her head solemnly, resuming her rock skipping. The water greedily sucked up the stones, and if it wasn't Emma's imagination the stream was beginning to grow a bit wider.  _Hmm. Must be the runoff from all that rain._

A loud groan announced Robin's awakening, the man sitting up and rubbing his face. "I'm alive. Alive," he ran his hands over his body in disbelief, making sure everything was intact. Looking up, he spotted Regina and his face broke out into a smile. "Regina. Is this a dream-? Are you-?" He made to move at her but she whipped one of the shish kababs off of the plate and pointed the sharp tip right at him to keep him from getting closer.

"Eat," she commanded.

"But-"

"You can talk and eat, can't you?"

He nodded his head obediently, sitting back down on the cot with his food but didn't touch it. "And is that Emma over there? What are you guys doing here? Is this why you both have been gone for so long? You ran off to an island?"

"What we do is none of your concern," Emma barked out. "What are you doing on our territory?"

Robin clearly wasn't done with his questions but for now he was going to answer Emma's. "I was on a cruise ship when a terrible storm struck. I found myself on a rescue raft, clinging to it and hoping and praying it would survive. It didn't. The waves ripped it apart and I thought for sure I would be a goner. But when I woke up, I was here. You had saved me." Even though he looked like a drowned rat, Robin's smile was warm and handsome as he looked on at Regina. "I've been so worried about you. You and Emma both disappeared out of the blue one day. Not a word or clue as to where you were going. I tried looking for you. I had thought maybe something bad had happened. But at last I have found you." Food forgotten and cold in his hand he got up to hug Regina. The woman placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Let's go back. Back to the show."

"There is a reason why I and Emma left the show, and most of the world behind."

Robin look concerned. "Was someone trying to hurt you?"

"No. No one was. And even if they were, that is none of your concern."

Emma felt something tickling at her heels and turned back to see the stream had broken it's banks and was now lapping at her converse.  _Should warn Regina. We might have a flood._

She would wait after the conversation, right now more invested in eating the shish kababs that had cooked.

"But I can protect you. I can-"

"You will do nothing of the sort. Me and Emma value our peace and quiet here. We do not want to be rescued or interrupted. So you can kindly take yourself and leave."

Now Robin was starting to get aggravated. "And how would I do that? There's no-"

Regina grabbed his chin and wretched it painfully in the direction of the ocean, where she had summoned up a boat to take Robin back. She couldn't poof him away as much as she wished she could, because that would raise too many questions.

"-ship..." Robin trailed off, upon sighting it. "Huh. Where did that come from?"

"I have my ways," Regina said, jerking his chin back to her. "Now, why don't you hurry on up to it. And do not breath a word of this to anyone," Regina leaned in close, eyeing Robin hard.

He gulped but his eyes drifted off to the boat. "I don't think I will. Given how the boat just sunk."

"What?" This time it was Regina's turn to stare at the boat and indeed it was sinking.

What in the name of Satan-? Her mind raced to find an answer and then her stomach sunk just like the boat.

"Emma!" she cried out, shoving Robin away and racing towards the girl.

"What?" Emma cried out in annoyance just as a black tentacle shot out of the flooding stream and wrapped around her ankle. "Shit." She looked down on it and then she was up and flying away, ascending terrifyingly fast. Other tentacles were shooting out of the water as the very earth surrounding the stream began to rip apart as a dark, massive, and gelatinous body crawled out of it.

Regina stood frozen in horror as the monster emerging began to laugh, her face forming into the countenance of a purple skinned woman Regina only knew too well.

"Ursula," she spat, a combination of panic and distaste in her voice. The sea witch was a Queen of Darkness. One of the more powerful demons, so powerful that she could command the whole water realm if she wanted to. And now she was here, holding up Emma, after who knows what. Probably the girl's soul.

Regina was really regretting not going back into contract with her when she had the chance.

"Well hello there, Regina darling," the deep voice boomed out, holding up a squirming Emma who was trying really hard not to freak the fuck out about how high off the ground she was. She was practically eye level with this no doubt demon holding her up. "How nice to run into you."

"Cut the bullshit. What are you here for?"

"Why don't you ask lover boy over there. He was very distraught over your disappearance. So much so that he made a contract with me."

Now Regina whirled onto him. Her nostrils flared. "You did  _what?_ "

Robin looked slightly apologetic. "I only wanted to find you. I was so worried for you. I-I love you Regina." When the brunette only snorted in disgust, he dropped down to his knees, begging. "Please, let me make things right. You've been on my mind ever since I first saw you, and I knew I couldn't live without you. Please, I'm not trying to harm you and Emma. I just wanted to find you. And Ursula said she could help."

He remembered the long nights spent on the internet, looking for any sign or news of Regina. Nights of no sleep and bottles of liquor. He couldn't focus on set, couldn't act right. The directors were getting annoyed with him.

He had even gone to a private detective. Still no answers had been found.

He went to the pier, to sit down and drink away the pain in his heart after all his failed attempts. He felt like Regina had betrayed him. Left him alone without thinking or accounting for his feelings. And then the voice had spoken to him.

A woman now sat on his bench, over looking the sea. She was wearing a black skin tight dress with a plunging neckline, a necklace of pearls on her collarbone. Her short cropped silvery hair matched the jewels but whereas most of her clothing palette had been subdued, her eye shadow made her look like she had just been to a club. "Heartbroken?"

"How did you know?"

"Drinking. The scruffy beard," she ran a manicured hand down his face, eliciting a shiver from him. "And staring out into the water."

"You're good," he admitted, taking a swig.

A smirk lit up her features. "I wouldn't call myself  _good_ , per-say. I just know what people need. I know what  _you_  need." Her voice was husky and alluring and it swam in his ears.

"And what do I need?"

"You need to find the love of your life. And I can help you. For a price of course. It won't cost much," she turned greedily glimmering eyes to him and he shrugged. She was the first person who said could help him and he'd be a fool to reject her.

"Have we got a deal?" she stuck out her hand to him.

"Deal." He shook on it and excruciating pain filled his body before he blacked out.

He'd later learned what true manner of creature he had made that deal with, but that was fine with him, because he had power now and a way to get to Regina. Ursula had explained the plan briefly to him. She'd cover him in protective magic to get him through the barrier, and then rough him up a bit so it looked like he would be shipwrecked in a storm she conjured up.

"Shipwrecked?" he had asked in confusion. "Why would I want to look like that?"

Ursula had wagged a finger and tsked. "Don't worry about it. The lack of information will lend to the credence of your innocence in stumbling upon them. Wouldn't want them to know about your dirty little secret:  _me_." Then she slapped his forehead with her palm. His eyes rolled back.

He blacked out for the first and second time in his life because of her. He woke up shipwrecked like she'd promised and used their fabricated tale, happy at his own success.

He had found Regina.

She was just like he remembered. Caramel skin glowing, hair perfect, and figure barely covered in that beach robe of hers.

But she wasn't how he expected her to be. She wasn't smiling at him, or overjoyed to see him.

She was not looking happy at all. Her eyes looked murderous.

"If you love me than you're going to sorely disappointed Robin. Because the woman you fell in love with is the same kind of woman Ursula is."

"Powerful?" the man tried.

"Wrong," Regina snarled out, grabbing him by his ripped shirt and hefting him up. He looked down at the hand holding him up and saw her fingernails had grown to sharp lengths; looked at her orbs which were pools of black light, red veins standing out around her eyes. "A demon."

His eyes opened wide and she dropped him down to the ground. "No..." he gasped out, feeling his heart break. "You can't be..."

"Oh, but I am. And now if you excuse me, I have to clean up the mess you made of my contract with Emma!" She whirled on her heel to stare down the sea witch who had been waiting patiently for the conversation to finish.

"Give me back Emma!"

"This little morsel here?" Ursula cooed grossly, bringing the girl closer to her face. Emma was beginning to go light headed from behind held upside down all this time. "Hmmm, I might just keep her. Her soul does smell nicely." She brought Emma up to her nose so that she could take a huge sniff of her. Emma's clothes fluttered in the breeze and she shivered in disgust. "And what would you know, she's not even in contract." The sea witch smirked down at Regina. "Have you been staying with a human without a contract?"

Being questioned like that was making her uncomfortable. "Leave her be from this. I know you have no quarrel with her. But me."

"You are indeed correct in that assumption, Regina. Robin told me to find you, but he never told me what to do if I did find you." Her eyes shone evilly. "There is a matter between us I'd like to settle. With blood."

Regina knew what the matter was. And Ursula was not going to let it go for she felt Regina had wronged her. This was a fight that had been brewing between them for years.

There was no escaping it. Not when Emma was still in the demon's grasp.

The blonde was getting real tired of being stuck up here and not being able to hear most of the conversation, so once she heard Ursula finish her little speech, Emma did the only thing she could in her position and used the skewer she still had in her grasp and poked the purple skinned monster right in the eye.

Snarling in rage, Ursula flung Emma away and the blonde was sent flying, free-falling to the ground.


	10. Sea and Sky, Oh My!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Warnings for some imagery of gore in the middle of the chapter.

* * *

_Feel the waves crashing_   
_A new storm is building_   
_If it catches land, I'll go under_   
_\- Island, Svrcina-  
_

* * *

 

As Emma free fell from dizzying and deadly heights, she thought, surely, it wouldn't have been too much to ask that she could have made it to next week so at least she could have celebrated her 17th birthday.

But noooo, bloody demons and their stupid ability to mess up a perfectly normal day.

And fuck Robin too, for bringing the purple octopus lady here to her and Regina's safe haven.

At least she got the sea witch in the eye. So score one for her.

A cloud of purple smoke enveloped her, cutting off her screaming mid cry and she was on the ground a second later with a harried looking Regina setting her down inside their house.

"Thank god," Emma mumbled out, raking a shaking hand through her hair. "I thought I was going to die there." She wobbled unsteadily before sinking down to the floor. She still held the skewer in her right hand and it was oozing with the purple demon's eye juice. Gross. She tossed it to the side.

"Stay here," Regina instructed Emma. "She's not after you, but me. So long as you stay out of the picture you'll be fine."

"Regina-" but the brunette was already gone in a plume of smoke. Emma swallowed down a lump in her throat. Regina had missed her entrance for a cutting and smug remark. In normal circumstances she would have corrected Emma- "Don't thank god, thank  _me_." But she hadn't said that, which meant Regina was actually nervous about fighting whoever this demon was.

And Emma would be too, seeing how the woman's body was made up of more tentacles than should be ever found on any living creature ever. So Emma knew she couldn't sit still, couldn't wait idly for Regina to come back. Regina was going to need all the help she could get.

Emma clenched her fist tightly and summoned up the swirling energy under her skin. She was pleased to find out that her hand shone with a kind of white fire. Good, her energy was still here.

Over the course of Emma's stay here, she had discovered she had some sort of odd powers. Magic, sort of like Regina's but not exactly. Purer. More simple. It was driven by Emma's emotions. She could only conjure it up when feeling strongly about a certain matter.

She now knew that when she had flung Neal through the door it had been using her powers. And when she had done it again on the island after nearly drowning after a huge wave had swept her under, she had told Regina about it, to which the demon had looked momentarily uncomfortable at having to deal with.

"I'm not sure what this is. Perhaps my magic is rubbing off on you," Regina had uncharacteristically shrugged.

"But it doesn't feel like your magic. I've always felt it under my skin before..." Emma trailed off, eyes narrowed in thought. "Unless it was always my magic I felt...what can I do about this?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I do not know everything."

"Must have killed you to admit that." Emma used humor to diffuse the situation. "Can I get it on writing? So that I have documentation of you saying that?"

Regina playful swatted away the paper that Emma suddenly brought up, clearing her throat before speaking. "My best advice would be to ignore it. You've gone so many years without it before, you can surely do so now."

But Regina's advice had been strangely lacking, almost like she was afraid of Emma's powers, and the blonde made it a point to practice her powers but only in secret. Now, the practice would pay off, she hoped.

* * *

"I am going to make calamari out of you," Regina vowed as she sliced through a tentacle sent her way with her saber, only for another one to replace it. They were never ending. Black ink squirted from the severed ones onto her clothes as Ursula only laughed harder.

"Stop with these children's games. Let me see your true form Regina!"

"You don't deserve the effort of that!"

"Scared? Because you know that even in your true form, you won't be enough to fight me in my secondary form? Mommy's not here to help you out."

"I don't need my mother to help me with anything!" Regina slashed harder and in her fury, which blinded her at the mention of her mother's name, she missed the sneaking tentacle behind her. With a hard yank she was up in the air before getting slammed down really hard, over and over, her grunts of pain muffled by the smack of her body hitting sand. She dropped her saber in favor of conjuring magic fireballs into her hands and using that to sizzle right through Ursula's hold on her, dropped down onto her stomach inelegantly. Getting up to her feet she was greeted by a barrage of more tentacles, which sent her screaming as she ripped right through the ground, displacing trees and entire chunks of ground. She tried to rip and push back but failed to do so until she was forced into the water.

Ursula retreated her appendages and cackled. "Weak, weak, WEAK! Living with that human willy nilly has made you weak! You are a shame to the name of the Evil Queen. You don't deserve the title. I do!"

Regina sat up, spitting salt water. There was no way she could win this. Not without at least resorting to her second form. In a fluid transformation, her casual vacation look melted into something darker. A leather corset hugged her figure and leather pants clung to her thighs. Her long laced up boots stabbed into the sand violently with each stride forwards. And on her head was a crown made of pure gold, intertwined in such a way that it seemed to come up from her hair, which was now made of long flowing locks that tapered off into little mouths full of sharp teeth and which chattered unintelligibly, gnashing their teeth in hunger.

"Still sore about the fact that I outrank you as a demon? Still sore about the fact I stole that Ariel girl away from you?" Regina cracked her neck, feeling more confident in this form. It had been awhile since she had to wear it. She raised her hands flat and the skies above her turned gray before turning black, the island swiftly descending into darkness. A cold breeze came in, wind ruffling the palm trees. The sound of thunder began to rumble in the air, fueled by the queen's powers.

"Finally, a real challenge! It would have been a shame to beat you so easily!" Ursula raised her own hands up, eyes glowing darkly. The waters around the island began to swirl and bubble, frothing incessantly. "And it wasn't just about Ariel and in stealing my title! You stole away my future, my chance to be queen of the merfolk when you destroyed the trident!"

"It was a shame I didn't destroy you too," Regina added and lighting began to rain down all over the makeshift battlefield.

* * *

Emma was halfway to Regina when the sky above her darkened and the land began to shake. "Shit, shit, shit," she cursed out. "What the fuck is going on now?" Was a storm approaching? Fear coiled in her belly and she wanted to retreat under a rock and hide. But she couldn't. Not when Regina was in danger. Not when her demon was actually scared.

"Emma!"

The blonde turned to see that Robin was calling out to her, face distressed as he crawled out from where he had been hiding under one of their tents. "Emma, please you need to help me. I've fucked up. Badly. And I can't-I don't know-"

Emma's first instinct would be to kick his ass for being so dumb as to send a demon on them. But she realized he could be useful. He was the only one who could really stop Ursula.

"Come with me. I know a way you can fix this."

* * *

A fat bolt of lightening struck true. Light arched along Ursula's form and she screeched out in pain before she exploded, raining fat glop's of black mass everywhere. Regina erected a shield to avoid getting sprayed, but she shouldn't have worried. The flesh disappeared into thin air. That wasn't good. It meant the witch was still alive.

A tremendous roar from behind Regina alerted her to the fact that there was now a wave of sixty feet coming towards her tiny island. On it, the makeshift face of Ursula, giant watery mouth open to swallow enemies to their doom.

 _Emma_! Concern for the blonde flashed in her mind. She had to get her out of here! She teleported to the house where she had last left her only to find the blonde wasn't there.  _Where the fuck could she have gone?!_  Without the locator spell of the tattoo, it would take Regina longer to find her. She summoned up the yellow rope that she had used to find Neal and followed it hastily as it began to unwind.

But there wasn't enough time. She had only made it two feet from out the house, cursing Emma's impudence, when the wave struck. She put up a shield to keep from getting swept away, the giant watery walls ripping away the house behind her.

_No, no, no!_

Emma surely was dead after that wave. She had to be.

All that time...all that effort...all those memories and special moments...and it was all gone...

Regina felt like screaming. Like destroying everything with her bare hands. Ripping up ground, hearts, crushing bone and breath under her heel.

Her heart felt like it was bleeding and she couldn't seem to catch her breath as her vision wobbled in the aftershock of loss, before she regained her senses and let them be taken over by a more familiar emotion to her.

Rage filled every crevice of Regina's body. She was going to KILL Ursula for taking Emma way from her! She was going to rip her apart cell by cell!

The weight of the water pressed on Regina's shield's before the levels began to recede back into the ocean. Ursula was rebuilding her form. Water turned black, than solid, taking on the shape of her second form.

As soon as her ugly purple mug was reconstructed, Regina lowered her shields. Letting two bolts of lightening strike directly into her palms, she used that to fuel her next hit on Ursula as she redirected the bolts at her. The witch screamed and exploded again, Regina not even bothering to wipe away the slime that hit her cheek. "Ursula!" she roared, her voice deep and sounding more monster than woman. In that one utterance pain beyond imagination was promised.

"Is that the best you've got. I would think the death of your little human pet would enrage you more, seeing how you cared for her." Ursula was already reforming, turning into yet another wave. This one even bigger. "Pathetic. You have become weak, Regina. I will have your title for that!"

Regina rushed right at the wave, not caring that by doing so, she was entering the sea witch's territory. Ursula's smirk only widened. She had Regina exactly where she wanted her.

* * *

"Emma. Emma!"

Emma could hear someone calling her name, and she tried to open her eyes to see who it was. Harsh hands on her chest pressed water out of her lungs and air into them instead.

"Emma, can you hear me?"

Ugh, it was that annoying Robin guy. Why wouldn't he just let her sleep?

"Shut up," she mumbled out.

"I'm going to give you mouth to mouth. Is that okay?"

At this Emma's eyes shot wide open and she decked him hard in his chiseled chin before he could do anything. "No!"

"Ouch, okay. I got it, shit," he grabbed his jaw and scrambled back from her.

Emma sat up slowly, feeling a tremendous pounding in her head. "What happened?" she asked looking around and noted that the island she had once called her home now looked more like a wet pile of sand, more water than land.

"There was a tsunami. And then you saved us." Robin was looking at her with awe. "Did the demonic contract give you those powers? Can I use them too?"

Emma looked at the palms of her hands. They were slightly red. She remembered the giant wall of water, the panic as she realized that they were all fucked. She cried out for Regina but she knew the demon wouldn't be able to come to rescue her a second time. So she'd gathered up all her energies and created a bubble around her and Robin. She remembered the strain of holding the wall up, of the tears that pricked at her eyes. And only when the water had finally drifted away did she collapse to the ground, entirely spent.

"How long was I out?"

"I don't know," Robin massaged his still throbbing chin. "Ten minutes maybe."

"Shit." Emma scrambled to her feet, feeling a spell of dizziness hit her. She hadn't recovered yet, but she didn't have time to lay around any longer. "We need to get there and fast before they tear this island apart completely."

It was too quiet. That was never a good sign.

* * *

She was drowning.

Drowning, drowning, drowning.

In the water.

In agony.

In her own blood.

She was tossed out of the water like a fish, slapping the hard sand onto her back. Good thing, because she had lost every inch of skin from her neck to her pelvis, the torn edges of the skin still flapping in the breeze and if she had landed onto her front, all of her insides would have spilled out like marbles from a bag. Blood oozed out of the many punctures Ursula's water had given her on her organs, and arms and legs, and one eyeball was missing. Chiseled into spikes, they had gone right through her and now blood was everywhere and it was coming up her throat and her nose and she couldn't recall a time when she had seen so much of her own blood before, it spilling and covering her like a carpet.

Was it always this dark red?

She coughed and winced at the pain it caused her. She had been foolish to step into the water. To walk right into Ursula's domain. She didn't stand a chance there.

Ursula tiptoed her fingers along the exposed ribs poking out as she lounged by Regina, head propped up one hand. She was back in her human form, looking like she was out for a night of clubbing and not killing. "You have such nice ribs. Shame if someone broke them." Then she ripped one rib completely and violently out.

Regina had been expecting that, so she didn't scream in pain. Merely shot the sea witch an evil glare before coughing up more blood.

Ursula looked disappointed by that. "Too defeated to even scream?" she stabbed and pinned Regina's shoulder down with her own rib, stabbing right through the bone, and still Regina did not scream.

"I'm never too defeated," she growled out. Whatever inane retort Ursula was going to say was cut off by a pained cry.

"Regina-!"

Regina recognized that voice anywhere; but she didn't recognize the emotion that laced through it.

It was Emma.

But no, it couldn't be.

Emma had died in that wave. There was no way she could have survived even if she was...unless...Regina was suddenly glad that the girl had been practicing her magic.

Because Emma was alive.

The relief that flooded Regina's bruised body soothed some of the pain. Emma was safe. Which was good, uh, right, because of the need for the plans to succeed and not because of anything else. Not because Regina actually cared about the blonde as a companion. Not at all.

"The little human survived," Ursula murmured in disbelief before she was flung away from Regina's body in a blast of white magic.

"Get away from her!" That surge of magic made white dots dance in front of Emma's eyes but she continued walking, not wanting the other demon to see weakness.

Ursula snarled and rose to her feet, ready to blast that pesky annoyance away.

"Magic! She has magic?!" Something wasn't adding up. No human had magic.

"Stop that! Stay put!" Robin ordered and still snarling, Ursula acquiesced to his orders. "We are leaving. And you are never to harm Regina ever again. Or Emma."

Emma had quickly given Robin a run through on how much power he had over his demon and he was using it now, making sure she was effectively caged. "If there is anything you need help with-" he turned green when he saw the state Regina was in, Emma kneeling by her, the blonde making a great effort to keep the contents of her stomach in.

The blonde was trying hard not to look at all the exposed organs and blood but it was just... _everywhere_. If she ever had wanted to learn about anatomy of the human body, this here was a prime opportunity. "You've done enough damage as it is. And we don't trust Ursula to heal Regina properly. You should just go," Emma said. And was that a rib sticking out of Regina's shoulder? How did that get there?

"Okay." Robin's voice was small. "I'm truly sorry."

"Just break the contract with her before she takes your soul," Emma offered.

But as Robin looked at the hatred burning in Ursula's eyes he knew he couldn't. Because she would only come back after Regina. As long as he was the master, he could forbid her from doing that. He left without another word, him and his demon poofing away in black smoke.

Regina tried to sit up, but Emma pushed her back down. "Stay still. I'm going to heal you." She had never done such a thing before. Didn't even know if she could do it, but it felt right. She felt confident in that for some reason.

"I don't need your magic. I'll heal by myself."

"I can't stand sitting around and watching that happen." Emma shook her head and raised her hands over Regina's body, closing her eyes as she felt energy radiate from the core of her body to her hands. Regina let out a soft content sigh as her body began to heal. The blood stopped pooling, the ribs reformed, and the gashes on all her limbs shut closed. Some natural color began to come back into her cheeks. Emma was losing color on the other hand, sweat dripping down her forehead.

The land under them gave a huge jolt, almost severing Emma's concentration.

"Emma, we need to go. I'm fine now. But the island is falling apart. The bedrock has been compromised by the fight!"

A huge fissure cracked open right next to Regina's head and salt water began to spray upwards from it, as the chunk of land they were on began to tilt down.

"Emma!"

The blonde opened her eyes. She was done healing Regina. The demon looked as good as new, even her blood stains gone. How had Emma done that? That was so sick!

But her elation at her success was cut short by dancing white lights in her eyes. She slumped forwards feeling weak and nauseous. Regina caught her and tugged her up.

"We're leaving." And not a moment too soon as a giant wave engulfed the land they had just been on and greedily sucked it under the sea. There was not a single sign of the island they had lived on.

* * *

Emma drifted in and out of consciousness for several days after that, dreaming of water and blood and Robin's leering face trying to kiss her. On the third day she woke, sweat making her shirt cling to her back. "Regina!" tore out of her throat. Was the demon okay? Was she-

"Right here. I'm right here," the demon came in, a wet towel in her hand. She sat down on the bed and gently wiped away at Emma's forehead, rubbing circles on her shaking back.

"I was worried," she finally let out.

"I know. But I'm fine. And I would have been okay without you healing me."

Emma shook her head at this, trying to dislodge memories of all that blood and gore and- she squeezed her eyes tight. "Don't think about it," Regina whispered to her.

Emma thought she was used to gore, given all the adventures and crimes she and Regina had committed across the years. But no, it was different when Regina was on the receiving end.

"I want to check," because Emma still didn't trust she had done a good enough job. "Please."

Regina sighed and obliged, knowing it would be futile to argue back, and unbuttoned her white button down shirt.

Tan smooth skin greeted Emma and she let her fingers trace over where the wounds had once been. She circled gently over the abdomen, the skin firm and taunt under her touch, glad to feel the press of perfect ribs under her palms. She let her fingers tickle over the swell of Regina's bra clad breasts, feeling the steady strumming of her heart, no longer a red organ exposed. She ghosted her hands over the no longer broken and jutting out collarbone. Then she pushed down the shirt, exposing Regina's shoulders to the air. She had to check there too. Had to make sure there really was no trace of harm left behind.

Regina watched the human at her task and she couldn't help her lids from lowering halfway. The soft touches were nice. They spoke volumes of how Emma cared for her. One wasn't supposed to care for a demon but Emma did, and it was lovely. Which was why Regina couldn't have it. Didn't deserve it.

She grabbed Emma's wandering hands and placed them over her breasts, forcing her hands to squeeze hard. "Do you want to check under here too?" she asked flirtatiously, hoping it would ruin the sweet intensity of this moment. That Emma would fluster and jump back.

But she didn't. "Show me then." Emma still recalled the glint of lungs, of insides too red but not red enough peeking out from the safe cover of skin. The whole of Regina's front had been devastated.

Regina felt her heart skip a beat and no, no she could not be doing this. She had to be in control here. She was the demon. She bonked her head against Emma's forehead. "Emma, dear, I was joking. I am hundred percent put together. If your magic didn't heal me all the way than my magic did the rest."

Emma blinked herself back to reality, finally seeing that Regina was whole in front of her. Beautiful and whole. A flush settled onto her cheeks and she peeled her hands away where they had been resting on the demon's ample cleavage.

"Uh, sorry." She didn't know what had come over her.

"That's quite alright," Regina sat back and buttoned up her shirt. "How about we get you a nice bath? You could use one."

"Sure." Anything to spare Emma the embarrassment of how she had nearly been fondling Regina.

* * *

For three weeks following the affair on the island, Emma and Regina traveled the globe. They never stayed in one spot too long, afraid to garner the attentions of some other demons. So they went from America, to South America, to Africa, until they ended up in Tibet, taking up the ways of Buddhism and living up in the mountains.

Emma found Buddhism very relaxing. She would meditate hours on end and live a life of no excess, such a far cry from what she used to do as a young teen. For Emma was now 17 and she wasn't quite as mean as she once was. She felt like she had repaid the world for their injustices done to her in kind. Now all she wanted was to be left alone, to enjoy her solitude with her demon until it was time for Regina to claim her soul.

Additionally, she had a greater appreciation for life now. Facing off against multiple demons could do that to a person. They scared her more than death itself, and she'd met him once or twice when he'd come to collect the souls of those they had murdered. Nice guy when not pissed off, but very grim and morbid. Could use some color in his clothing and life (unlife?) and less interest in her soul.

And Regina followed wherever Emma went, even donning Buddhist robes despite how much she reviled them. "They are simple atrocious and unflattering!" Regina had tried to tailor hers to fit better but no matter the cut, they still did not look nice.

Emma would have mentioned that any article of clothing looked good on Regina, but she didn't. Those were dangerous thoughts. Thoughts that kept her up late at night, itching to touch herself.

But she didn't do anything about it because it was wrong.

She distracted herself with meditation- though half the time she ended up meditating about Regina's ass- and with practicing her magic. Regina had given up trying to forbid Emma from using it, only because she knew the blonde wouldn't listen anyways.

"I suppose it would do if you knew some magic," Regina had conceded when Emma asked the demon to teach her how to use it. It had kept her alive on the island and Regina couldn't begrudge that. She had almost lost Emma, and that had knocked her confidence in keeping the blonde safe down several pegs. She wanted Emma to know how to protect herself even if exposing her to the world of magic was risky.

So they trained, though their magic types did not match up at all. Regina's magic was made for hurting, whereas Emma's was for protection and healing. Whatever Regina tried to teach her how to do, Emma's magic either wouldn't comply or it would go about it a different way.

"This is no good," Regina had huffed out on more than one occasion. "I cannot train you because our magic is not compatible."

"Then just teach me the basics. Like how to control it, how to replenish it, that sort of stuff."

So Regina did.

The stay in Tibet was simple though filled with physical labor. And not just magic training but helping gather food for the village. Emma had never been a part of a community before and it felt nice, though she was wary. She would eat communal meals with them, play games, work on local projects, and hold conversations with them thanks to a spell Regina cast that allowed the both of them to speak and understand the language. The villagers called Emma the Sētō svāna or 'White Swan' for her long graceful limbs and stunning bright hair, and they called Regina the Gāḍhā ēka or 'Dark One' for her caramel skin and dark, dark eyes.

Of course something simple and sweet like this could not remain and it was in the middle of the night that Regina strode into Emma's small bedroom in a huff. "Get up. We have to leave."

Emma was awake in an instant. "What? What's wrong?"

"Demons. I scented two of them. Coming over the mountains through the village."

"What are they doing here? Are they after me?"

"Possibly."

"What kind of demon are they?"

"Low class. They aren't worth the trifle. But still it would be best if we left."

In the quiet of the mountains Emma could make out the beginnings of screams. She bolted up in her bed. "That's them. They must be attacking the villagers!"

Emma rushed out of the house. She couldn't let those demons kill innocents. They were here for her, others shouldn't have to suffer because of that.

"Emma, no! Leave them be! If we leave than the demons won't have reason to stay here!"

But Emma was already out the door and running down the precipice to the village.

"Fuck!" Regina clenched her fists tightly. This wasn't good. Emma was regaining her moral compass. All those years of trying to corrupt her soul and it hadn't worked. All of it reverting day by day until Emma's soul would be as pure as snow and utterly unusable to the demons.

Regina couldn't lose heart. She would have to try a different tactic later on. For now, she had to make sure that Emma didn't get hurt.

They made short work of the demons. They were stupid and dumb and didn't even have a human form. Regina didn't even break a sweat and Emma didn't get injured. After that was all over, the villagers were in awe of the two foreigners. Calling them gods and such. Regina snorted at their naivety. Emma loved it.

The both of them had to leave by morning, because they could no longer stay in this village. Packing up their bags they teleported back to the US, hoping it would be safe to stay there once more.

"Atlanta?" Emma wrinkled up her nose. "Really? This of all places?"

"Got something against the south?" Regina quirked up her brow as she used magic to decorate the new apartment, frames jumping up to walls, couches materializing on the floors, and curtains appearing on windows.

"No, it's just..." Emma shrugged. "The place seems uninteresting?"

"That's good. Less attention and less expectation that someone like us would be found here."

"But did you really have to pick a place in the middle of nowhere? This is miles from the downtown area."

"We can teleport anywhere. Are you really going to complain over distance?"

"Yes," Emma pouted, flopping down onto the couch and flicking the TV on. Once Upon a Crime was playing and she quickly turned it back off. It hurt too much to see what trash the show had become now that they were both gone from the scenes.

Regina only knew Emma was being petulant because she actually missed the mountains and the solitude yet communal sense that had been there. Alone but not really. Emma missed finally being a part of a community and Regina wished they hadn't had to go, but they did, because Emma was becoming good again and that was something Regina could not have. Thus, Atlanta. It seemed a safe option. Western world where not a lot of community happened and where she hadn't heard news of demons passing by in decades. The south was too religious for that.

It would be their new start for the billionth time yet, and would give Regina ample opportunity to enact her plan B.

She had seen it; had seen the way Emma looked at her. She would have had to been blind to not notice it. And she was going to use that and her Satan given body to aid in her plan.

Seducing Emma Swan to the dark side once again.


	11. The Hormone Monster

* * *

_Diving into destruction_   
_Come undone with me_   
_In the state of seduction_   
_-State of Seduction, Digital Daggers-_

* * *

Emma was a teenager. Naturally, her body was going through changes caused by irregular hormones. She was growing taller, her boobs were getting bigger, her smiles prettier. And she was prone to acting rashly while her brain developed, curious as to the new world awaiting her as she grew older. So naturally, she was interested in romance and sex. Especially given her jumble of feelings for a certain brown haired demon. A demon whose very body was molded out of sin.

Unfortunately, she wasn't going to school anymore, so there was no way she could find out about that stuff there. She had no peers or teachers to learn it from; neither had she had previous experience except for that one disastrous relationship with Neal. She had to take it upon herself to educate her own self. Which was a hard thing to do with a demon breathing down her neck all the time. More than once she had been caught surfing some questionable sites.

"What is that pixelated image on your phone screen?" Regina had peered in over Emma's shoulder, startling Emma so badly she dropped her phone. With a huff she picked it up and locked the screen, holding the phone tight to her chest as she swiveled on her heel and glared at Regina.

"It's nothing. Just the image not loading on time. It's nothing bad, I swear!" Emma's face was red and her heart beat quickly at the thought that the demon could have seen her watching such a thing.

Regina arched a brow at Emma's strange behavior but let it slide for now. "Well, dinner's ready. As I have been calling you for the past ten minutes about it."

"I'm going, I'm going," Emma rushed past Regina, pocketing her phone.

The next time, Emma bought a book titled 'Romance and Raging Boners' in the hopes that it would offer her some knowledge into this world she was not a part of. Being cut off from the normal life of a regular teen could do that to someone. Yet, just as she had gotten comfortably settled into her seat with the heavy book on her lap, Regina walked in.

"There you are. I have to discuss something with you-why did you just throw that book out the window?" Regina paused halfway into the room, arching a brow as Emma bolted out of the chair like it was on fire and with a measure of desperation threw the book out. "It could fall on someone's head and hurt them. Which is why you should have used this dumbbell instead," the brunette pulled one of thin air, "if you're trying to cause substantial damage from such a height."

"Thanks," Emma shakily took the proffered object but didn't bother to throw it out the window. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Her face was red and she looked awkward and slightly miffed.

Regina set her lips into a thin smile. Something was up with Emma, but she couldn't tell what. The girl was acting odd...more than usually. But she didn't say anything, because she was sure the girl would slip up eventually.

The third time Emma tried to discover what sex was, she first sent Regina away on some contrived errand. "I want you to switch out all the milk in the grocery stores with white out."

Regina didn't question the purpose, just poofed away and with a relieved sigh, Emma slid out her laptop and began to google search things she had questions on. She started out with broad questions, like what was sex, genital differences, what being aroused means. One way or another she stumbled upon a link to a porn video. Licking her lips and nibbling on them, debating with herself if she should look or not-who knew what would be in there- she finally clicked on the link.

Immediately lewd noises came from her speakers and the screen was covered with thousands of pop up ads. "What the fuck is going on?" she scrunched up her face as a message came up telling her she had just gained a virus onto her computer.

"So this is what you kicked me out of the house for?" a silky voice behind her asked and Emma bolted up from her chair, slamming the laptop closed in one smooth motion. Still, those lewd noises flowed freely and Emma's face heated up. "It's not what it looks like-"

"So you weren't trying to look up pornography and got a virus?"

Emma crossed her arms over her chest. "Did you even do the task I asked you to do, or did you suspect me all along and just wait to come in at the worst time to embarrass me?"

"My dear, I did the task. If you were trying to get me out of the house longer than ten minutes, you should have given me a real challenge." Regina held out a hand. "Now, will you give me the laptop so I can fix it?"

Emma stared down at Regina's hand for a while. She knew the demon was up to something, but not wanting to continue letting the virus ravish her computer, she handed it over reluctantly to Regina, who opened it up and clicked her tongue disapprovingly. She thumbed through the ads, closing them all.

"You're into this kind of stuff I see," she smirked as Emma flushed, crowding her to see what the link had even contained. When she saw the images on the screen, she flushed even harder. "I didn't click on that on purpose! It just popped up!" It was on something called BDSM and involved a woman wearing a collar as another woman held out a whip, ready to hit her.

"Oh, really?" Regina didn't seem convinced. The timing of Emma's curiosity into the adult world could not be any better. It would coincide with her plan perfectly.

"Just make it stop." Emma was getting tired of hearing those voices- the sounds were only picking up in intensity and frequency.

Regina waved a hand over the screen and the images there disappeared. Emma let out a sigh. Finally, no more of those noises. "What else have you been looking up in the meantime," Regina hummed, devious as she magicked up the search history.

"Regina-stop!" Emma made a grab at the woman but the brunette was fast. She poofed herself over to the couch, a good twenty feet away from Emma.

" 'What is masturbation?' 'Can girls do it too?'" Regina continued to read unperturbed. Emma had looked that up because waking up at night with wetness between her legs and a constant throbbing was not fun.

"Regina! I order you to stop!" Emma was positively mortified. The order worked, however, because Regina closed the laptop back and handed it over to Emma. "Can't take a bit of ribbing but you dish it out?" she queried.

"I'm just a kid, sheesh," Emma huffed, hugging the laptop to her chest.

"And I'm just a demon," Regina answered, enough to explain her actions. "You know, if you were curious, all you had to do was ask."

"Ask?" Emma echoed.

"I could tell you all about sex. I am quite learned about it."

Emma made a face. "No way. That would be weird. And mortifying to talk about."

"As if the internet is a better place for that. There's so much information there that it can be misleading. You need an adult to explain all that properly to you."

"Yea, well, I'm adult enough, so I think I can understand things quite fine myself."

"What happened to still being a kid?"

Emma huffed, upset she had been caught in an argumentative circle. "Look, I don't need your help."

"Are you sure?" Regina pressed forwards and suddenly Emma felt very off kilter, like she was small and some sort of prey. Something dark, darker than usual, danced in Regina's brown eyes. Her aura was intimidating and Emma found it hard to swallow as her eyes were drawn to the demon's eyes. "Remember, I can do anything you ask of me. Any questions you ask, I'll answer. Any deed you want done, I'll do." Regina trailed a finger up Emma's bare arm, goosebumps arising in her wake.

Emma nearly choked on her tongue as she hastened to speak. "A-anything?" Her mind whirled at what Regina was suggesting. She found it hard to grasp.

"Anything," Regina confirmed, her voice low.

"A kiss?"

"Yes."

"Making out?"

"Yes."

Emma licked her lips, swallowed heavily. Her voice came out a whisper. Somehow she had been cornered by Regina against the wall. When had she been moving back? "Even s-sex?"

Regina's expression didn't waver. "Yes." She lifted a hand to Emma's chin, brought her own mouth closer to Emma's. "I live to serve you. Do with me what you will."

Those words, paired with the natural seductiveness of Regina's voice, and her current close proximity, made Emma's brain turn to mush. Made a shiver go through her body. She would be lying if she didn't admit to finding Regina attractive, to dreaming of such an opportunity like this. She often was wondrous of the brunette's soft locks, her full mouth and shapely figure. But was the brunette playing with her? Or was she being serious? So demons in contracts could even be obligated to have sex with their partners? But Regina was no longer under contract, so the fact that she wanted to do this...

Emma didn't know how to feel about that. She wasn't one to force others into doing sexual deeds for her. But it wouldn't be forced, would it...if all she allowed was just one kiss, out of curiosity...right?

She just wanted to know how it felt. Just wanted to try it with someone. And who better than Regina who she had known for years.

She let her eyes drift closed, felt her back pushed against the wall as Regina pressed against her, the laptop in between them serving as a flimsy barrier. She could feel her stomach coil in anticipation, felt the exhale of Regina's breath on her sensitive face.

The demon bit back an excited grin. This had been easier than she thought. She took in Emma's closed eyes, her lips parted in expectation. She let her own lips brush gently against Emma's, delighting in the way the blonde shivered at the touch and hugged her laptop closer to herself. Then she applied more pressure, letting her own eyes slip closed as Emma got the memo and began to mimic Regina's moves, tentatively at first but then with more vigor and confidence. Pink lips moved against red lips until Emma made the mistake of parting her lips to suck in some air and Regina slipped in her tongue.

Emma let out a surprised gasp at that which then turned into a moan and Regina couldn't stop herself from pressing even closer to Emma, magicking the annoying laptop out of the way so she could feel Emma's chest quivering under hers, could wrap her hands around the blonde's hips.

She sent her tongue in deep, wanting to taste Emma and the blonde retaliated by running her hands up and yanking hard on the back of Regina's head, pulling her away because suddenly she was overwhelmed with that demon's wicked tongue in her mouth, stroking against her own.

She couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Everything was spinning around her and her brain felt like marshmallows. She didn't know kissing could feel like this. The kiss was everything it should have been and more. Fireworks seemed to shoot in Emma's stomach and her body trembled and she felt comforted and excited at the same time. Regina's wonderful scent surrounded her, making her head spin. When she pulled Regina away, the demon's face was neutral, awaiting Emma's next command.

"You're not a bad kisser. I bet you wouldn't be bad in the other aspects either." Had Regina pressed too hard? Maybe that kiss had been a little too much.

Emma drew in a shaking breath. Pressed a hand to her lips. They tasted of apples. "I-I think I need some time to think this over," she said at last, proud of her voice for not shaking too much.

Regina respectfully backed away and let Emma rush past her into her bedroom where she collapsed onto the bed and lay looking up at the ceiling. It was like some line had been crossed. And now Regina was no longer just Emma's friend but a potential love interest too.

With a girly squeal unlike herself, she buried her face in her pillows and tried to calm down the fireworks still going off in her stomach.

* * *

"Only kisses," Emma insisted the next morning. She had tossed and turned in her sleep as she replayed the scene from last evening. The press of lips on hers, the warmth and instance and comforting quality of Regina's body close to hers. She wanted more of that. Wanted to be held in the brunette's arms. But she didn't think she could handle anything more than kisses for now without her heart jumping out of her chest.

And it's not like she was trying to get a relationship with the demon anyways. All she wanted was to practice intimacy, so she would know how to kiss when the time came. She knew it was unrealistic to think that she could find someone to love her due to the loneliness of a demonic contract, but you know...it never hurt to know how to kiss, especially Regina's soft lips.

"Of course," Regina purred, striding up to Emma who still looked mussed up from sleep, face soft and eyes bleary. Regina couldn't resist the adorableness of that look and leaned in and kissed her, a slow chaste kiss, pressing her forehead against Emma's when she was done, letting their breaths intermingle. It was enough to wake Emma up, heart pounding in her chest and cheeks flushed.

"You-you need to warn me before you do that," Emma stuttered. "Besides it's too early in the morning to be doing that."

"It's never too early for good morning kisses," Regina hummed and for a moment it looked like she was going to kiss Emma again but she didn't, pulling away, and Emma was disappointed. "I've made breakfast," Regina strode over to the dining room and Emma followed after her.

They sat down to eat, Emma digging into the eggs and bacon with delight.

"Have any plans on what you would like next to do?" Regina asked, sipping on her black coffee. She loved it black, like her soul.

"I'm not sure," Emma paused in her devouring to think. "I've done pretty much everything I have wanted to. And other things, that are too public, are off the list." For it could attract demons. She had learned that lesson now.

Regina set her cup down, calculating how what she was going to say next would pan out. "What if I told you it was possible to travel to other dimensions."

"Other dimensions?" Emma repeated.

"Yes, other worlds. Worlds not entirely like our own."

"Are you shitting me right now?"

Regina was amused by Emma's word choice and her look of pure shock. "No, I'm quite serious. I've never suggested the idea before, because frankly, I could not leave while we under contract. There's something in the ancient laws that dictate that while a demon and human are connected through a contract, they cannot leave the contractee's realm of existence. Now, that we are not bound by such magic and rules, we are free to leave."

Emma dropped her fork and her jaw. "Holy shit, what kind of dimensions can we even go to?" She was already thinking of all the wild adventures and cool shit she could explore and destroy.

"There are countless dimensions out there. Some are alternative universes, called AU's. Some are altered realities, called AR's, and others are parallel worlds called PW's."

"And do all of you demons do inter-dimensional travel like that?"

Regina nodded her head. "We are magical beings. But we are not referred to as demons in those worlds, but something else. There are many different names. Too many to get into."

Emma sat back in her seat, appetite for food forgotten but appetite for knowledge whetted. "What did you do in those worlds?"

"I caused chaos, misery, and harm to the residents there. It was all practice in being a demon."

"You had to practice being a demon?" Emma let out a little laugh. "That's ridiculous. How do you practice being _evil_?"

"No one in this world is born evil. Evil is made. Some souls are just more prone for adopting dark into their hearts. Thus, demons. That dark gives us our magic. The eviller we are, the more power we have." Regina could barely remember her birth, her early years, but she knew Cora had seen to it that Regina had no chance to live a life according to her own virtues. A sudden bout of sadness overtakes her and she lowers her eyes to the table top.

"I used to be human once." Her voice is soft as she says this, tinged with wistfulness, and she stuns herself with this open admission. She doesn't know why she's sharing this all of a sudden. Maybe it's to gain more trust with the human? To aid in winning the human over in her long term plan for seduction? Either way, it feels good to finally say this. To share it.

Emma's mouth drops open again and she lets out a strangled breath. "Get out of here. You?  _A human_?"

Regina could have snapped back some comment about Emma's puny human brain being unable to handle this, but she doesn't. She wants to take back her words.

But she doesn't do that either. She's already said too much

"I don't recall much of my human life. It was sometime around the crusades, and I lived up in what is called Germany today. All I know is that I hated my life, so, so, much. I was born a princess and as such I had to be married into nobility. It was all incestuous and revolting and my husband was a true monster. But he prayed to God, and toted His word and that saved his soul. That made his despicable deeds alright."

Regina's lips curl up in a sneer. She may have forgotten so much of her past, but never her time with Leopold. Each day had been torture, excruciating torture.

"I tried praying to God too, but of course my prayers were never heard. So I called to the darker beings in the world around me, and Cora came answering."

She could remember the flash of yellow smoke and the smell of sulfur at the demon's sudden arrival. Cora had been intimidating and comforting all at the same time, and she hadn't yet been Regina's mother.

"My poor, frightened dear," she had cooed, coming down to cusp Regina's trembling chin in her own. Cora's face was kind, lacking any violence and evil Regina had expected to see in a demon. "Do not worry yourself any longer. I am here. I will help you." She had hugged Regina tightly to her and the brunette had broken down into tears, finally hearing the words she had longed to hear for so long. Finally having someone to help her.

Her family had abandoned her in a foreign country- Britain of all places- leaving her to the clutches of a man she despised with all her heart. She had been 16 when she married him, the king needing a new wife after his old one had passed away. Regina had worn her innocence for mere minutes after the wedding ceremony was over, before he was grunting and panting on top of her, making her feel small and dirty and useless. He didn't love her. She was just as important to him as a comb. All she was here to do was bear him children.

And even that she couldn't do. The pain of miscarriage after miscarriage. Fingers coming away red, cramps in her abdomen, the tears leaking from her eyes and the silent disgust and disappointment from Leopold as he watched her body eject the life forming in her time and time again.

She wrote to her parents to get some emotional support from them; she prayed to God to let her have a child for then maybe Leopold would cease his impersonal treatment of her. But no one answered and she was filled with rage and loathing and wanted to hurt the world for her unhappiness. And then Cora had appeared and she gave Regina power. So much power.

"I knew I had picked correctly," Cora had purred as she watched Regina's handy work.

Leopold was currently lying glassy eyed on the floor, Cora having used her powers to pin him to the floor while Regina spat her grievances at him. And there were many. She feared she'd talk him into death. But no, she'd gotten it all out and then had slowly squeezed his neck until his face turned blue and his eyes bulged out.

"You have much darkness in you. An urge to inflict pain with not only my magic, but your own hands." She leaned down to husk this in Regina's ears as the girl panted over Leopold's lifeless form. She got up, straightened her back. No, she was no longer a girl. But a woman. Murder had finally let her blossom and her eyes, usually soft, had gone hard and dark and her fingers itched to squeeze some more. "And I think I can help you make your wildest dreams come true."

"Such as?" Regina stared at her hands, flexing them. They were a bit sore.

"Well, that is for us to know and for the scum of this world to find out." Cora twirled a lock of brunette hair that had come undone from Regina's updo. "12 years. 12 years to paint the world red, Regina. Do what you will."

And Regina did.

"Whose Cora?" Emma asks, having respectfully waited for Regina to finish her thoughts. The woman had suddenly seemed lost and Emma could only wonder what she must have been imagining.

"She's the demon I was contracted to. She's even more powerful than me. She's also the one who 'turned me' as you can call it." Regina took another sip of her bitter coffee. Hmm, not bitter enough. These humans truly did not know how to brew such drinks. She'd have to add poison to make it the right level of bitter she liked.

"And how do you turn a human into a demon?"

"The contract ended and my time was up. Cora naturally took my soul. But because she had that, which is the very essence of a human being, she could do what she wanted with it. And she gave it to my father, who was a demon like her, so he could eat it." Regina frowned at this. "It really doesn't make much sense to me even now but when she and my father mated-" at this Emma cringed at the thought of two demon parents copulating, "she was impregnated with the soul of mine that was in him. And then nine days later she gave birth to me in my demonic form. And since I was the offspring of her, and given the heavy crimes upon my soul, I was a powerful demon by birth, yet not still knowledgeable on how to use my evil abilities. She spent years mentoring me to add to my repertoire of nasty deeds."

As if massacring countless innocents while just as a human, and using her own hands to do it with minimal magical aid from Cora, hadn't been enough to make her evil. Regina couldn't even count how many times she had stolen the breath or the light from someone's eyes. Maybe she should have kept track. All she knew was that she had been born with a soul with a predilection towards dark things and Cora had finally helped her down the deep end.

Emma stuck out her tongue in disgust. "I'm sorry I asked. Did not want that imagery in my mind."

Emma knew Regina was one of the most powerful demons alive, which meant she had done some horrific things. Emma waffled between asking her what some of those things were but her curiosity about other worlds won out. Beside, she already knew Regina was a walking disaster to those who crossed paths with her.

"What worlds have you visited?"

Regina looked up thoughtfully, and grateful that this topic was over. Emma was oblivious to how much importance lay in Regina confessing to her these things and she didn't know if she was relieved or disgruntled by that. "More than I can count. I did, however, have favorites. There was the Enchanted Forest, and then there was Neverland, Wonderland-" she ticked them off on her fingers, smiling at the warm glow that remembering the forests and people she had set on fire brought her.

"What's in those places?"

"Would you like to find out?"

"Hell yea, I would! Sign me up for some adventure." Emma was vibrating with energy. "Get our stuff ready. I'm gonna get dressed." Emma rushed to the bathroom, food left forgotten.

Regina couldn't resist smiling at Emma's eagerness. Truthfully, she had other motives behind getting Emma into other dimensions. Other demons wouldn't be able to find them there, if they were under contract. And she would have more time to seduce Emma without the usual distractions. Clearing the table with a wave of her hand she set about preparing them for a long trip.


	12. Love of My Land

* * *

_Tell her a story_   
_Tell her the honest truth/ Don't be just everything she wants_   
_Be everything she needs_   
_When she says she loves you_   
_Tell her you love her too_

_-Tell her you love her, Echosmith-_

* * *

"Let's never go back there," Emma said, shivering in disgust as she and Regina exited a purple portal leading them into a small medieval looking town. She wiped her hands over her arms and legs, like swatting away invisible cobwebs. "I can still feel the crazy on me."

Regina smirked. "I take it you're not much of a fan of Wonderland?"

"No." Emma said angrily. "All it did was give me a headache. There's no logic to that world. It's complete nonsense!" She threw her hands up in the air in exclamation of this. "I don't understand how you could stand to be there."

"It did drive me mad at first," Regina admitted as she and Emma walked through the town. People saw them and got to their knees, bowing out of fear and respect. "Trying to understand the world and it's rules. But then I recalled I wasn't there to make sense of the world but to cause chaos to it."

"So you made the inhabitants even crazier?" Emma guessed as she passed the gates to her small town mansion. The guards at the door greeted her and Regina before moving their axes aside and letting them in.

"I suppose that can be my fault. They weren't always like that. Though that realm did belong to my mother once."

"Ah, that explains even more," Emma nodded, trying to push memories of being shoved into a teapot out of her head. She began to strip out of her clothes on the way upstairs, Regina following her and collecting the discarded articles of clothing.

"Rose or lavender scented wash?"

"Both," Emma said, now down to only her underwear. "I need to wash all the adventures I had there away," her lips curled up distastefully. When she had gone to Wonderland, she had been expecting...a land of wonder, or something like that. Not what felt like a bad acid trip. It made her skin crawl and she did not ever want to go back there again. It turned out this dimension hopping thing wasn't always fun; Emma had been trying to fuck shit up in other worlds for the fun of it, but this world had fucked her shit up.

All the characters there for some reason could see into her very soul; could see her deepest darkest fears. She didn't like that. Didn't like being dissected apart by a cat who wasn't even real with an even faker smile.

"You fear never being loved. Never being good enough. Once your demon leaves you, what will you do? You will truly have no one, not even yourself for your soul will be gone. You will be nothing, like the nothing you have felt you are."

"Shut up!" Emma had spat at the cat, throwing a stone at it, but it passed right through the cat.

"Don't worry. You can always come here to Wonderland, where things are never as they seem."

"Fuck you!" Emma had screamed at the top of her lungs and then Regina had been there and everything was okay, the brunette kissing Emma's forehead in reassurance. Emma refused to think on the cat's words. She had already come to terms about what would happen at the end of the contract, right? So this shouldn't bother her. Not at all.

As Regina got to work on setting up the bath, Emma hopped from one foot to the other, shivering in the slight cold of the bathroom. She had had Regina refurbish the mansion with modern comforts. There was no way she was going to live like a medieval peasant despite being in the world of theirs. "I didn't know demons could own property," she said to distract herself, arms wrapped around her midriff, suddenly realizing how naked she was in Regina's presence. But she couldn't help it. She needed to strip, to get rid of the memories of that place. Even now she felt the hum of madness under her skin, urging her to take a knife and carve it out.

"Not all do. Only the biggest and the baddest. Cora owns Wonderland and another handful of smaller domains that she rules with an iron fist." A pause before Regina reluctantly informed, "She's the Queen of Hearts there."

Emma choked on her own shock. "That was...that was her?" She had crossed paths with her. A woman wearing too much red and too many hearts for it to be tasteful. They had come across her at a cricket match (one that utilized hedgehogs and flamingos to play) and she had eyed Emma with a bit too much interest.

"What a darling little girl you have brought me," Cora had cooed with oozing familiarity to Regina who had stiffened at the tone. Emma had swept away the interaction with the belief that it was only how characters here acted; overtly familiar and frighteningly inane, tongues tied in riddles. "Is she ready to lose her head?" And she had twisted the head of the flamingo she had been holding up.

Emma blinked at that senseless violence and at the threat held in her words. "Or maybe something else? Like a heart? Or soul?" She circled Emma around like she was examining a prime cut of beef and Regina had wrapped an arm protectively around her waist. That didn't stop Cora from grasping Emma's face between long fingers. "She is a bit on the scrawny side. Have you been feeding her well?" She glared accusingly at Regina.

"We're here to play the match," Regina had said tersely and Cora stopped her circling, humming to herself. "Indeed you are. But not cricket." Her eyes were sharp, full of secrets. Or maybe madness, Emma wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, as it was for everyone here. "And now it is up to time to see who shall win this game. Regina? Or Emma? I do hope neither side feels the urge to cheat, or I will need to interfere." And then the queen had strode away to scream at some other participants that were trying to play cricket but had lost control of their animals.

Emma shot Regina a confused and annoyed look but Regina was only staring holes into her mother's back.

"What did she mean when she said all those things?"

The water stopped running and Regina poured in the bath liquid. Only then did she speak. "I'm not certain." Though she knew well. Cora had been taunting Regina. She knew that Regina was having difficulty in securing Emma's soul, and was stating that Emma would win this game; that she would get away with her soul. Regina wouldn't let that happen, though a part of her did. She didn't want to hurt Emma. "She is a demon. And probably only there to mess with us." Regina regretted taking Emma to Wonderland now. If she had known her mother would be there she would have thought twice about subjecting her to her mother's scrutiny. She also felt bad about the mental strain it had brought Emma. Wonderland had not been like that once upon a time. Sure, it had always been an odd and fantastical place. A place where dreams came true. But now the dream was corrupted. Cora had seen to destroying it just like she destroyed everything she owned.

"I also own property." Regina tried to move another topic.

"Like what?"

"I own this world. That is why they fear me as the Evil Queen. And you by extension, because you are seen by my side."

Emma nodded her head. "Makes sense."

"Baths done," Regina got up and moved so that Emma could get in. The steam coming off of the water was enticing but Emma couldn't go in just yet. "Aren't you going to leave?" she asked, feeling self conscious of her body now.

"You're shaken by the experience. I want to make sure you're fine."

"I'm not weak!" Emma snapped out. "I'll be fine."

Regina pursued her lips. Well, there went that plan to comfort Emma and draw her even closer under her spell, but she supposed she cared a bit too much about the human to take advantage of her like that now. "Alright. But if you need anything, call me." She took a step forward and kissed Emma lightly on the forehead, stroking her cheek with her thumb. Over the following weeks ever since they had first kissed, such touches became a common occurrence, as thoughtless between them like breathing. Emma loved them for they made her feel adored and cared for; and Regina secretly loved them too, loved being able to feel the press of Emma's soft skin under her lips or under her fingers. Not that she would ever admit that. She had a mission to do. A mission she was botching.

She didn't want her mother to become involved with this, because if she did, than Regina could lose Emma forever. She left and Emma was able to sink into the water, sighing in contentment. She immediately felt better. Warmer. Wonderland had sucked the warmth out of her.

When she was done, she put on the robe that Regina had given her and went downstairs to see that the brunette was preparing her a meal. It was just what she needed. Regina knew her needs too well.

They ate in silence before Regina cleaned up and then they went upstairs to bed. It had become custom for Regina to relieve herself of her business clothes (or as in the case of this world, her ornate dresses) and now wear silk pj's when she crawled into bed by Emma's side, just as it was custom for them to sleep closely entwined. Emma tucked her chin in on Regina's collarbone and wrapped her arms around the demon's waist.

"Are you still feeling upset?" Regina asked in the soft darkness. Outside it was quiet, only the chirping of crickets coming in.

"I'm better now," Emma said but her shaking fingers gave her away. No matter how hard she tried not to think about it that damned cat's words came back to haunt her.

"It's okay if you're not." A pause before a regretful admission. "I shouldn't have brought you there."

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault. In fact, does this make us official?" Emma joked and Regina arched a brow despite Emma not being able to see it in the dark.

"Official?"

"I've already met your mother. This means we're dating for serious," Emma bit her lip, cursing herself and her big mouth. She hadn't meant to say that, but she had wanted Regina to not worry about her and had blurted that out.  _Please don't reject me,_  Emma whispered over and over in her head as the silence to her stretched on for centuries. She couldn't stand having the only person who mattered to her reject her.

"Hmm, I guess so," Regina hummed, her hand trailing up Emma's arm and to her jaw. Emma couldn't tell if she was joking or serious. "We need a kiss to seal the deal."

"Oh, is that how you're going about making deals with people now?" Emma huffed out in relief, happy Regina hadn't rejected her.

She allowed Regina to tilt her mouth up so that their lips could meet in a slow kiss. Emma could feel her toes curl up in pleasure as did her stomach. Kissing Regina always made her feel like she had just chugged a five hour energy drink, raging to run a 10k marathon, at the same time it made her sink in pink colored fog that clouded her mind and made her feel heavy.

Their lips moved in tandem, Emma sighing in bliss. Regina always knew what kind of kiss to give Emma. If Emma was feeling angry, she'd kiss the side of her mouth and work those upside down corners into turning right side up. If she was sad, she'd kiss her eyelids and cheeks to catch her tears. And if she was distressed, she gave soft kisses like these.

Regina's kisses did make her worried, because if she indulged in them too long than embers began to spark to life in the pit of her stomach and soon she'd be demanding different kinds of kisses. And she didn't know if she could do them with Regina. They never really addressed what this thing that was between was. Were they more than friends? Or just friends who made out with each other?

Emma's hands latched on tighter to Regina's hips but she reluctantly pulled away, knowing she had to pull away. She wasn't expecting Regina to chase her lips. "You don't have to hold back, Emma. I told you I would do anything you ask of me. I would give you the world if I could." Regina's voice was husky as she whispered this between kisses.

Emma knew Regina had said that but-" I don't want you to do something just because you feel obligated to do it."

"Is it that hard to believe that a demon can grow to genuinely care for a human?" Regina pulled away. "I thought we had established we were already dating," she added in a lighter tone so as not to overwhelm Emma with her sincerity.

Regina cared for her, in that manner? Emma was elated. She never expected...she didn't deserve...surely, it was a joke of fate?

"I...I..." all of Emma's insecurities lay unspoken as she stuttered over her words.

Regina silenced her with a chaste kiss. "It's fine, Emma, if you don't feel the same way for me. I'm okay with you using me only for my body."

"No!" Emma sat up in horror. "I would never do that! I do care for you too! Like a lot. A lot,  _a lot_. "

"I'm glad to hear that. So if we both feel the same way..." She sat up as well and kissed Emma again. This time, this kiss was more heated. It was hard and hot and Regina pushed Emma down onto her pillows and all Emma could do was wrap her arms around the brunette's shoulders and hold on for dear life.

She had never been kissed like this before and it made her head spin, made her heart race, and made the heat between her legs grow.

Regina pressed the full length of her body onto Emma's, her smooth legs brushing against the covered ones of Emma, sliding in between as she slotted her body perfectly against the blonde, like they were always meant to fit together. Her pelvis touched against the heat in Emma's center and the blonde could feel her hips buck upwards slightly, seeking more friction. Their lips moved in fervor, lips sliding wetly against each other, Regina's teeth nipping on Emma's bottom lip before slowly sucking it into her mouth and letting go with a wet pop.

Emma let out a puff of hot air, squirming as her skin came to life. She felt like she was buzzing and she couldn't tell if it was her magic or just the way Regina made her feel. Her hands delved deep into brunette locks and she tried to bring the brunette's mouth back to her but it didn't work. Regina gave one last peck to her lips before rolling off of her.

"What?" Was that it? Emma wanted more.

"Don't want you to get too excited before bed. Good night Emma," Regina said, pushing Emma onto her side so she could spoon her.

"You demon," Emma hissed. She couldn't tell if she was more upset that Regina knew she had been aroused or that Regina had cut it off. "I'm not a child, you know."

"I know. Which means I want to make the most of your first time, and not have it be a spur of the moment. Because I care for you."

"Fine," Emma huffed but she smiled because Regina was making an effort.

Regina too, smiled into the back of Emma's neck. She had successfully seduced Emma now, with soft sweet caresses and promises of lust in the night. It hadn't been hard. Emma already cared thinly veiled feelings for her and all Regina had to do was treat her in a loving manner to win her over. She only wondered why it didn't make her feel bad to lie to Emma about caring romantically for her. Maybe...because it wasn't a lie?

She closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep before she could dwell more on the implications of that thought.

* * *

"Sit up straighter.  _Straighter_."

"I'm already sitting as straight as I can, Regina!" Emma huffed, frowning at the demon. "Maybe I'm just not cut out for this."

"It's only your second time horseback riding without a saddle. You'll get used to it."

"And why do I need to do that? I was fine with using a saddle."

"Because there are no saddles here. If you ride around town with one it would break the immersion of this world."

Emma rolled her eyes. "You're saying it would break people's minds if they saw something from another world here?"

"Yes," Regina nodded her head sagely, as her horse kept pace with Emma's. "That's why, if we want to have modern commodities, we need to keep them well hidden. I happen to like my realm not descending into madness like Wonderland did, so you are going to follow my rules."

Emma rolled her eyes again. "Fine. I'll practice." Only because she'd be loathe to give up the sight of Regina in tight riding pants that Emma wishes would ride up and off her legs so she could see those long shapely legs on display.

Emma doesn't bother to hide her staring this time, because Regina knows how the blonde feels for her. Instead she gets a cocky grin as Regina speeds her horse up a bit.

"Keep your back straight. And head ahead and not on me."

So Emma practices, but not happily. And by the time they are done, she is sore all over, limping as she walks over to where they are now staying at their castle.

Regina wasn't kidding when she said she was queen here. She had the acres of land and the castles for it. Plus the monuments.

"Conceited much?" Emma had snorted when she saw the statues for the first time, but she couldn't resist ogling bronze Regina's perfectly sculpted ass.

"If I look this good, why wouldn't I want people to be reminded each day?" Regina had tossed her head up and smirked that damn delicious smirk of hers. Emma had wanted to kiss if off right then and there in public, but she restrained herself. She had a feeling it'd get heated very soon and she didn't want to fall apart in public like that. Besides, these clothes in this world were entirely not conducive to getting naked. Regina's outfit of corset and a dress with so many layers looked like it would take years to get off, especially given it's tight quality. Though that dress did wonders for Regina's already wondrous figure. She was imposing, and regal, and downright darkly seductive, especially when she lidded her eyes and coyly tangled her fingers into a vice like grip in Emma's hair when they snuck some heated kisses in, in the interior of a carriage or while riding off in the woods.

Emma's heart felt like it would explode at the end of those kisses and she panted like she had just run a race. She still recalled vividly that one time they had gone on a ride through the woods. What began as perfectly cordial, quickly dissolved into debauchery with Emma pinned against the tree hard, and Regina nipping and sucking on her lips and neck like they were a divine fruit.

Emma's cries had scared off the local fauna in the radius. And she had come back to the castle looking like she'd been attacked by some manner of peculiar man or beast, neck red and bruised, hair a muss, and bark clinging to her clothes.

Regina had of course, strode out of the woods not a single hair out of place after that. But Emma had been too dizzy from the kisses to complain about her own state of being.

Emma's own outfit was a bit simpler; more masculine in nature as Regina had explained the blonde either had to wear a dress here or pretend to go as a man because all the residents here were strictly adhering to gender social constraints and if they saw a woman riding a horse they would lose their shit. When Emma pointed out that Regina could just force them into accepting new standards as she was the evil queen here, she merely curled up her lips in mirth. "Yes, but I don't want to strain their poor little puny brains too much." Then she leaned in conspiratorially. "And I think you'd look dashing dressed in pants."

So Emma tied her long hair back, wore tight leather pants and a puffy shirt, open at the collar to reveal a lot of skin. She had felt disgruntled by it but then seen how Regina eyed her in that shirt and it stayed.

"Need some help?" Regina asks as she sees how Emma hobbles up the stairs after their riding lesson.

"I'm fine." But strong arms are already on her and Regina is holding up Emma bridal style, poofing them up to their shared bedroom, laying her on the bed sheets.

"Lie here. I'm going to heal your sore muscles." And without letting Emma so much as open her mouth to complain, the room has been transformed into a massage parlor, complete with ambient music and a row of various lotions and oils.

Emma is naked, save for the towel covering her bottom and she can't say she's complaining too much because soon Regina's hands are on her back and she lets out a soft moan as strong hands covered in rose scented lotion knead her back, burying her face into the pillows in case she has to stifle dirtier sounds.

"How does that feel?"

"Good," Emma mumbles out as her eyes drift closed.

"Good," Regina nods her head. Her tone of voice is lower than usual, and hushed. "I'll need you in top form for our next mission."

"And what's that?" Emma murmurs distractedly. She's wishing that Regina's hands would inch closer to her breasts but they stay respective.

"We should go around and terrorize some people. Kill some bandits that have been bothering the peasants here." Small steps. Small steps were key to getting Emma back to being evil.

"Hmmm, okay." Emma said, mind not even on this conversation anymore because Regina's hands were on her thighs, rubbing up and down and working the tensed muscles. God, it felt so good. It should be illegal for a massage to feel this good. All the throbbing muscles in her body went away, except the one between her legs.

Regina smiled. Well, that was easier than she thought it would be. Maybe she wouldn't lose this game like Cora thought. Leaning down, she gave Emma's shoulder a swift kiss before slapping her thighs. "Alright, all done."

"Already?" Emma groaned. It had felt so nice. But she sat up, keeping the sheet wrapped around herself for decency before Regina held out a robe for her. She slipped it on while Regina was turned around. "Would you...would you like one too?" Emma asked timidly as she tied the sash of her robe.

"A massage? Are you offering?"

"Uh, yes. Don't know how good I'll be, but you know. I wanna try." Emma really only wanted to touch the demon's skin. Feel the warmth of her body under her hands.

Regina full knew well why Emma was offering and she kept her smirk small as she magicked herself under a new sheet covering, naked back and legs to Emma. "Go ahead. Though I'm not sore, but it's nice of you to offer."

"Right." Emma gulped, eyeing the smooth contours and lean muscles of Regina's body. This was the most skin she had ever seen exposed on the demon. With shaking hands she reached for the lotion and poured some in, working up a nice lather before starting with the brunette's shoulders. A low groan of contentment came from the demon's red lips and Emma wanted to hear more. She worked her fingers harder, pressing more, moving down and up the demon's back.

And then she got the brilliant idea of using her magic. She knew her magic was very soothing and healing. She closed her eyes and taking in a deep inhale she summoned her magic up. It was always harder to do it when she was in a calm mood but she eventually did and white light began to radiate from her hands out.

A loud gasp came from Regina and she quickly sat up, startling Emma backwards. "What's-what did I do?" Had she accidentally hurt Regina?

Regina merely sat there, looking at Emma, sheet held up to her chest. Had...had Emma meant to do what she had done? The touch of that magic had been erotic. Had Emma been trying to seduce her with her magic? But no, the confused look on Emma's face meant she hadn't know what she had just done, or been about to do.

"Nothing. Nothing." Regina shook her head, getting up. She was no longer in the mood for this. There was a tingling in between her legs she didn't want to think about and a human she wanted to throw against the wall and have her way with due to the strong surge of arousal that Emma's magic had awakened in her. She couldn't do such a thing; it was too early in the art of seduction to do so. "I just remembered I have something to do." If that wasn't the lamest excuse ever than Regina didn't know what was. But she got dressed in a hurry and left, leaving a confused Emma in the middle of their bedroom.

* * *

"Tell me a little about the past of this world," Emma said, as she trekked through the woods, armor heavy on her shoulders and torso, and sword dragging her hip.

"You want a history lesson?" Regina asked in amusement, her own sword swinging from her side. She looked confident and better adjusted in her armored outfit, whereas Emma felt like a newborn colt learning to walk. Granted, Regina had cast some spells to make the armor lighter but Emma couldn't see why the woman didn't just put a protective spell over them and be done with it, like that time in the desert. The spell blocked bullets, she was sure it would block sticks and rocks.

"Not a history lesson, just...I wanna know more about you."

Regina glanced back at the blonde who was making her way through some prickly brambles. They didn't need to go this way to reach their targets but the demon did love making inconveniences happen and watching Emma try not to get her clothing snagged was a delicious treat. "Then I suppose I can tell you a bit more. But honestly, there isn't much to say." She slowed her walk so that Emma could keep up with her. "This world, I came here about fifty years ago, according to their timeline. I was young and inexperienced and soon found out that this world was filled with fairy-tale creatures."

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that, the books you read as a child-"

"I was an orphan. No one read me books."

Regina made a sour face at the interruption. "Do you want to listen or not?"

"Fine," Emma threw up her hands, and nearly walked right into a branch that Regina had magicked to stick out. "Bitch," Emma grumbled and used her own magic to make the roots grow and trip Regina up as she strolled onwards. The demon stumbled and shot Emma a glare.

"Real mature."

"You started it." Emma shrugged.

"And I'll end it," Regina flicked her wrist and a shower of leaves covered Emma.

"You-! You are asking for it!" Emma spat out a leaf and jumped at Regina.

Ten minutes, and several burned trees later, Emma picked herself up from the ground, face flushed, and buttoned up her shirt. Regina had pinned her to the ground and used the unfair advantage of her kisses up and down Emma's neck and collarbone to put an end to this fight. "You are so childish," Emma pouted, upset she had been so easily swayed.

"And you are so easy," Regina purred, running a finger down Emma's cheek before leaning in and pecking it briefly. "Now, as I was telling the story, before being rudely interrupted, this world is comprised of fairy-tale creatures." They began their walk again. "They are in fact what Disney movies and other fairy-tales are based on."

"And how is that possible?"

"Demons like to travel and sometimes they chronicle their journey's."

"So, a demon wrote the brother's Grimm book?"

Regina shook her head. "No, the Grimm Reaper did."

Emma sighed. "What?" She felt like this was going to go into bullshit territory and that her brain was soon going to give up. Already a headache was forming. Maybe she shouldn't have asked to learn more.

"He used a pen name. He doesn't actually have a brother. And he used to be big on writing, what is the modern equivalent of, blog posts. But now he's sort of mellowed out in his old age. He doesn't write anymore."

Emma tried to make sense of this. "So basically Disney than took those 'nonfiction stories' and made movies out of them. Wasn't Grim upset that he didn't get credited or get any money from it?"

"Death doesn't care about money, or worldly possessions," Regina said as if this should be obvious. Emma wouldn't know. She only met the guy twice. "But Walt Disney did have help with his stories. He had several demons working for him, going to worlds and bringing him knowledge of such worlds."

"So, Disney worked with the devil."

"Yes."

Emma nodded her head. "Ah, makes sense. Now I understand why they're such a super power."

"But enough about that," Regina dismissed with her hand. They had finally come to the encampment of the bandits they had been looking for. "People like Snow White and Rapunzel reside here and live out their lives in a never ending cycle of life."

"Meaning?" Emma whispered as she entered a crouch, slowly moving behind the bushes. She could see the merry men sitting by a fire and singing to themselves as they drank. If wasn't dark enough for a fire to be needed, but soon it would be. Emma could feel the chill of the setting sun on her back.

These had been the men stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Regina wouldn't stand for such justice.

"That their lives repeat. They never go beyond their happy ending."

Emma mulled that over as Regina sidled next to her. "That is quite depressing. Never being able to live on past your happy ending; suffering their tale over and over to get to a promised happiness only to reach it and start over." She was thinking of Belle from beauty and the beast, and how she would forever go through the motions of falling in love with the beast for him to turn to a man to a beast again when it all began. "They aren't aware of it?"

"No. They aren't. Which makes them so stupidly happy."

"So then how do you fit into all of this. I mean, the story of Snow White. I'm assuming you're the Evil Queen in it."

"I am indeed," Regina nodded her head as she conjured up a blue ball. Aiming, she sunk the ball into the fire with startling precision. The flames turned blue as a circle of blue light exited and affected those at the camp.

"O-h s-h-i-t," cried out one of the men, slowly reacting to it. "M-a-g-i-c!"

Regina and Emma strode out from the bushes, swords draw. Emma had never gotten into a fight before. Never killed anyone on purpose. But Neal's accidental death had been the crack on her dam and now she decided she might as well go all out. What did she have left to lose?

Regina sliced through the man closest to her in one smooth hit. He was still in the middle of saying, "I-t's t-h-e e-v-i-l q-u-e-e-n," in slow mo even as the cut rendered his head from his neck. Even his blood sprayed out slowly, his body suspended momentarily in the air by the hit before in a molasses-like manner he began to fall down. Regina kept going at it, slicing and dicing this way and that, making it look like an art with her precise strokes.

"But I don't always have time to cater to her story, so when I'm not there, her story doesn't move on."

"Must really suck to be in such a world. Who even created such a world?" Emma swung her blade up and separated an arm from a shoulder. She wasn't just ready to go for the gut yet. Besides, her moves were sloppy and she hacked more than attacked.

"I don't know. But whoever did was cruel beyond belief. Lives repeating in a never ending cycle, time never passing by. Stuck in perpetual youth and docility. They can't even die."

"They can't?" Emma asked in shock, eyeing the corpses surrounding Regina. "Are you sure? Because they look pretty dead to me."

"They come back alive. Trust me. I have killed every inhabitant in this world at least once, and not one of them stays dead." Regina swung her sword down and blood splattered all over her face as she hit a particularly juicy vein. Emma leaned on her sword, not even bothering with the carnage anymore. This world was depressing as fuck, she just realized.

"Do they remember dying?"

Regina shook her head no, wiping back blood soaking bangs. "It makes for great practice for a demon. We can come up with so many creative ways to torment them. And they make for great stress relief." She toed the body felled next to her.

Suddenly Emma felt sad. "And can't we do anything to help them?"

Regina's brows furrowed. This expedition was not turning out the way she had planned it would. Emma was supposed to go back to embracing the dark side, not emoting about helping others. "Why would you want to do that?"

"No one should have to live like that. And you're the queen here. Surely you have enough power to change that. To give them a happy ending." Emma strode up to Regina, eyes plaintive. "You can give them a true happy ending. Not the bullshit they have here. You can make their lives something!" To not have the power to do anything; it was what had driven Emma to the place she was at.

Regina's brown eyes shone sadly. "Emma. I'm a demon. I can't give happy endings."

"But what about us-?"

Regina shook her head, hesitant to voice this. "I can't give you the happy ending you deserve either."

Right. Because no matter what Regina felt for her, a deal was a deal, and Emma's soul would be hers in four years. Emma stared down at the ghost of where the tattoo on the back of her hand had once been. She could just envision the pointed hands and the position of them.

Eight pm. Eight fucking pm. Since when had she started caring about living past the contract? She sighed. Looked up. "Let's go home."

* * *

Regina didn't like a moping Emma. She needed to distract the blonde from such thoughts. So she did it in the best way she knew how to.

With her body.

"Emma," she purred as she approached the blonde, two glasses of wine in her hand and robe around her shoulders. "I think it's time we had the talk."

"The talk?" Emma looked away from where she had been staring at the fireplace, her eyes going wide at the low cut of the robe. Regina was naked under it, the hemline in danger of exposing her crotch to the world.

"Yes, the talk," Regina sat down next to the blonde, handing her one glass and sipping the other, running her tongue over her lips to lick the wine away. Emma's eyes grew even wider if possible. "You're almost a grown woman now and that comes with some new things in the territory." Regina recalled that in the human world, 18 was the year one entered adulthood officially, despite driving and sex being legal before. And Emma was two months away from it; Regina wanted to make her 18th memorable. "And I think you should get some experience with being one."

"Uh?" Emma smartly said, unable to comprehend what was going on for a mixture of nerves and anticipation rocked her body. Regina shifted closer, lips next to Emma's but not touching. Her breath was warm on Emma's mouth and the teen wanted to lean in and kiss the red off of them. Instead she shoved some wine in her mouth, knowing she would need it's courage. "Or, being  _with_  one," Regina amended, leaning back to finish off her wine before throwing the glass into the fire. The flames increased due to the alcoholic residue and Emma's own glass slipped from her hand and cracked on the floor as Regina pushed her down onto the couch and straddled her lap.

"Lesson one. A woman's breasts are very sensitive and deserve to be cherished properly. A hint," Regina lowered her voice, and drew her face closer to Emma's reveling in the way the young girl's breath pumped out of her mouth as if she had run a mile. "I like mine bitten."

"Oh, fuck," Emma swallowed harshly, not knowing what to do with the demon on her lap. She'd been having a chill night and now she didn't know anymore. Didn't know anything except that she wanted to do what Regina asked of her. She reached uncertain hands out and Regina helped her by loosening the tie on her robe and letting the top of it fall down. Emma sucked in a breath. Regina wasn't wearing anything underneath, her perfect breasts on open display. Emma's mouth watered and her teeth ached with the need to bite down.

The flames from the fire danced over her skin, licking across it and suddenly Emma was doing the same. Tongue licking down Regina's collarbone and to her nipples, fingers dancing to her hips and holding her there. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but here she was, doing it. She closed her eyes and sucked hard on the turgid peak between her lips before she bit down gently.

"Harder," Regina commanded, her voice husky. She could handle a lot pain and it would take a lot for Emma to hurt her. Emma bit down harder, rolling the nipple between her teeth now and Regina hummed in appreciation, unconsciously starting to move her hips, Emma's hands on her hips aiding her in that.

"Emma, how do you like your tits touched?" Regina asked and Emma let go of Regina's nipple with a wet pop.

"Uh, I don't actually know."

"Well, then I'll have to find out, won't I?" Regina deliberately licked her lips, and unbuttoned Emma's shirt with ease. The blonde's nipples were standing to attention at the thought of having some excitement of their own and Regina ran her thumbs over the peaks in appreciation, loving the hiss that came from Emma's lips and the way her hips rolled under her. Then she leaned in and began her gentle exploration of Emma's chest. She cherished her with kisses and light caresses that drove Emma mad, lips never quite touching her nubs, but skirting around them.

"God, you're teasing me," Emma groaned out, thighs rubbing against each other. Regina's pressure on top of her hips only made the pressure worse and more delicious.

"God?" Regina quirked up a brow, making a show of looking around. "I don't see him here."

"You know what I mean!" Emma, losing patience, reached for the back of Regina's neck and mashed their lips together. They both moaned into the kiss, taking the time to explore each other's lips with teeth and tongue. Emma's hands wondered back up to Regina's chest and began to knead her breasts, pinching her nipples in retaliation for Regina's teasing. The rough touches made Regina's stomach swirl and she couldn't help herself. She began to rock her hips faster and harder into Emma, the girl moaning not at all quietly under her, head falling back as she closed her eyes and moved her hips up in tandem. Regina bit her lip. She was a demon. She shouldn't be feeling this out of control by something so simple; she was meant to seduce not be seduced. But it was Emma, and Regina groaned low in her throat as she tried to hold back her increasing arousal and failed, a trickle of wetness climbing down her thigh.

Fuck the lesson in seduction, Regina wanted to take Emma now, and ride her so hard that Emma would be feeling it for days. With a great show of restraint she sat back and onto the free couch cushion, rearranging her robe tastefully as she tried to calm her breathing.

Emma was confused. Where there had been a warm body on her before, now there was nothing but air. She sat up, holding the ends of her shirt together. "Regina?"

"That concludes today's lesson," the demon shot her a look. Then she sauntered away, Emma's eyes glued to her ass as the blonde steadied her heart rate.

"Such a big fucking tease," Emma grumbled under her breath and ducked back to the bathroom so she could splash some cold water onto her heated face.


	13. Seeing Red and Green (Christmas?) in a Time of Debauchery

* * *

_So beautiful and more than I could ever dream_   
_Somehow I thought you'd see that I wasn't what I seemed_   
_Time went by and I fell so in love with you_   
_Leading myself to believe what wasn't the truth_

_-Monster, Aviators_

* * *

A tremendous roar arose from the battlefield as army clashed against army, metal clanged on metal, as men screamed their lungs out as they bleed out. Overhead several dragons flew by, setting anything and everything on fire as catapults launched giant rocks at them in a bid to bring them down to earth. On a balcony miles away but overlooking all this stood Regina, watching the chaos unfold with demonic glee. She breathed in deeply, savoring the scent of death. Ah, it had been so long since she'd last driven humans to war like this. The primal nature of it was exciting.

Emma stood by her side, clearly not enjoying it as much as Regina was. "When I meant I wanted to see a medieval type event, I didn't mean the freaken crusades!" she extended her hand in the direction of the battle and Regina rolled her eyes. "Don't over-exaggerate. The crusades were more intense-"

"You know what I mean," Emma cut in. "Can we do something more productive?"

"Like?" Regina turned to Emma, trying not to let the blonde's behavior bother her. After all, she'd staged a whole war for her. How ungrateful.

"Like...well, you know," suddenly Emma was bashful, looking down and tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

Regina arched a pleased brow. "Needy?"

"Not that!" Emma barked out, embarrassed. "You said you'd teach me things, so I'd be ready for our big moment. And it's been a week since our first lesson..."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Regina purred, cupping Emma's blushing cheek. "Meet me in our bedroom for lesson two."

Emma obediently strode off. The past week had been torment, being able to sleep spooned up to Regina, those soft pillows she called breasts against her back. She badly wanted to touch them, wanted to touch herself, but the demon's grip was vice like and she couldn't go anywhere to alleviate the pressure. She hoped this newest session would help with that.

Regina turned back to the armies and with a wave of her hand, they dispersed. The men who had been fighting to the death before paused and with looks of confusion turned and trudged back home, wondering what the heck they had been doing. The dragons flew off to their dens and the catapults were dragged back. There, now there was no risk of the war interrupting her time with Emma.

With excitement in her chest, she headed off to find the girl. She was only seducing the girl for plan purposes, but then why did she feel so happy about it?

She found Emma half undressed on the bed, shoes on the ground, shirt open.

"Lesson two," Regina twirled her hand and now she was wearing something more sexy. Her legs were bare and her negligee was practically sheer. Emma took in the sight greedily, becoming suddenly overcome with a strong bolt of arousal. How had she never taken the chance to kiss Regina before? To think of being with her physically? She was so beautiful it hurt. And it hurt to deny this any longer. She felt magnets pull her eyes to the round of the brunette's chest, to her curvy hips, to her angular shoulder blades. She wanted all of Regina. Now.

"You know, you don't have to wait until I'm 18," she croaked out, swallowing to clear her voice as Regina settled herself onto her lap.

Regina was surprised. Had Emma figured it all out?

"You know I don't care for that." And why should Emma, when she had the living embodiment of sex on her lap.

Regina tilted her head in consideration. Yes, why did she care so much about Emma's adulthood? She was a demon. She was supposed to encourage such disobedience. Strange. But she shook the concern away. "Alright. But you asked for this. I won't stop even if you beg me to." Regina was serious about that. She knew once she started she wouldn't be able to stop until she had claimed Emma fully.

Emma felt a delicious shiver crawl down her back at those words and lifted her head up so that their lips could meet together in a sloppy kiss. It was all teeth and tongue and Emma closed her eyes, enjoying the way Regina's wicked tongue had it's way with her mouth. She was sliding it in and out rhythmically, and Emma let out a moan as she basically got mouth fucked.

"A taste of what's to come," Regina husked as she pulled free, nipping down Emma's jaw and the blonde felt her heart pound away in her chest. She couldn't believe this was about to happen. That she was about to have sex and with Regina. She would have felt overcome with nerves if she wasn't so damn turned on.

Regina got off of her lap. "Move back," she instructed and Emma did as asked. "Hold your hands up over your head." Emma did that too. Regina magicked some rope into her hands.

"Rope?"

"You asked for it," Regina said. "And trust me, you'll need it." Emma was going to need to be pinned down when Regina made her cum.

Emma gulped in anticipation and watched as Regina tied her up by the wrists with deft fingers. She tugged on the rope to make sure that the hold wasn't too tight to the point of hurting (humans were fragile) but that it would work. Then she settled herself over Emma's lap once more, leaning down and taking her time to tongue a path down Emma's exposed chest, her breasts heaving in exertion as her breaths picked up. She wrapped her lips around one of Emma's nipples while tweaking the other between her long fingers.

"Mhm," came out of Emma's mouth as her hands strained against the ropes. She wanted to touch Regina, to press Regina's face closer to her breasts. But all she could do was tug uselessly and pant her frustrations. She could feel liquid heat travel down from Regina's lips to between her thighs and she began to rub them together. She was wearing too many clothes. She needed less. "Regina-"

With a wave of a hand, Regina was able to get rid of Emma's issue before the concern could even be voiced. The cool air pebbled Emma's skin and she could feel how wet she was already. So could Regina as her hand without warning descended there and cupped her harshly. Emma bucked up at the touch, whining in frustration. "Do you want my touch?" Regina's eyes were dark as she mumbled this around Emma's nipple.

"Yes, Regina, yes," fell out of Emma's mouth. Poor girl had no resilience to the demon's touches and was already this close to falling apart.

"Beg for it," Regina husked, bringing her lips up to Emma's ear and chewing on the lobe gently.

"Regina, please touch me."

"Touch you where?" Regina languidly began to move a finger over the wet spot on Emma's panties, touch teasingly light.

Emma bucked against it only to have Regina pull it away.

"You know where," Emma huffed, turning her face towards Regina's so that they could kiss. Emma's lips were hurried, fraught with need and desire. An essay trying to convey her points; why Regina should indulge her. And Regina was the harsh teacher who was unconvinced.

"No, I don't. Tell me where." Regina moved her lips back to sucking on Emma's ear, two fingers now caressing over Emma's wet spot which was getting bigger and bigger.

"My pussy," burst out of Emma as she wiggled her hips down lower and Regina rewarded her by taking her ruined underwear off.

"Good girl," she cooed, her hand now straying to the top of Emma's bare hip, tortuously close but not close enough. "Now, do you want me to fuck you with my mouth?" She curled her tongue into Emma's ear at this. "Want me to lick and taste every single drop that comes out from you?" Emma couldn't stop the moan coming from her lips at that imagery, of Regina between her thighs, eating her out like a meal.

"Or do you want me to fuck you with my fingers? Hard and fast and rough?" At this she cupped Emma's naked sex and the girl's back arched off the bed at the sudden touch, a gasp leaving her mouth.

"Both," she gasped out. "Both." She couldn't decide between options. She wanted everything Regina could offer her.

Regina let a satisfied grin fill her face as her own arousal increased at Emma's. Satan, she sure loved making humans beg. Especially lovely humans like Emma.

"Both what?" Regina stalled her movements, waiting for Emma's good manners to kick in.

"Seriously?" the girl all but whined, forcing herself to grind down on Regina's hand but predictably the demon moved it away, leaving the blonde to groan in frustration.

"Manners are important. Even in bed," Regina tsked.

Emma seriously looked like she was going to debate this but her needs won over her stubbornness. Regina would remember that for next time; if Emma was being hard headed, she'd use sex to win her over. "Both, please."

No sooner had those words left her lips than Regina slid down her body and licked a line right up and down her slit without warning.

Emma hissed in pleasure and her hips jerked wildly. She could feel a tension boiling in her stomach, getting tighter and tighter with each lick that Regina gave. Like a taunt string that would break. And just when Emma didn't think it could get tighter, it did. Regina slid a finger into her, moving it around experimentally.

Emma's walls were tight and they sucked greedily on the digit, pulsating a fast rhythm matching her heart rate. Regina began to move it in and out and she knew from the scrunched up look on Emma's face that the blonde was close. Really close. The human had lasted a long while for her first time; she deserved her release. So she curled up her finger and finally the girl came.

Emma felt her vision go white; felt like she left her body, and it was only the light licking on her oversensitive clit that brought her back down to reality. Regina was dutifully cleaning up the sticky mess between Emma's thighs. Emma looked down at her, feeling her heart swell with something. Regina noticed the green eyes on her and looked up, her own eyes mischievous. She crawled back up to Emma's face and kissed her, hand making circles on Emma's thigh and forcing her to spread her legs open more. The blonde could taste herself on the kiss and she wondered how it would be to taste Regina.

"Regina-" but she was cut off by her own cries before she could even ask, as Regina shoved three fingers right into her, knuckle deep. Electricity seemed to come from those finger tips as they lighted her sleepy and satisfied nerves into life again. Pants of ecstasy came from her mouth and Regina greedily sucked them up with her pliant lips, tongue tracing Emma's tongue, canines sinking into her bottom lip until it split.

Pain and pleasure mixed together and Emma loved the combination, blood dribbling down her lip. She felt so fully stretched that it hurt; for she had never taken anything this big before. And each new twist of Regina's fingers on her thrusts made noises that Emma never thought herself capable of come from her mouth. Her legs kicked up the sheets, her hips rolled and her wrists pulled even harder on the ropes binding her. "Oh, fuck," she hissed as she came close to the crest once more. Regina was inside her, pushing her way in, and Emma wished there was a way she could get more of the demon in her; a way for them to melt into each other.

Already she felt her body was melting, overheating, turning to a puddle of liquid desire. She wanted Regina to join her but she didn't have the skills for it. Or the words to speak it now, all her brain cells occupied with taking in each touch and turning it into fire.

"My, such a dirty mouth," Regina husked, pulling Emma's head back by her hair, nails digging in sharply. The blonde's pale neck was now exposed to her and she sank her teeth in, wanting to mar the pretty pale flesh; skin that had never been marked like this before. She wanted to have Emma fall apart completely under her; she wanted to ruin her. Ruin the pure angel she had once been. Wanted to claim her body in full.

She tried to reach in even deeper with her fingers to touch that innocence but she found she could not. They weren't long enough. No matter, she knew something that could.

Emma let out a guttural cry and she was coming once more, body shaking in pleasure as her eyes fluttered open and shut to bring her consciousness back. Regina removed her fingers from slick heat and made a show of licking them, not able to contain her own moan of pleasure. The blonde tasted so sweet it was criminal; a taste that was easily addictive. Emma's lust blow eyes followed the movements but she was still too spent to speak. "Ready for round three?"

"Round three?" she gasped out in shock. Emma felt so tired already. Her body was in a delicious state of being right now and she didn't want to get up from this bed.

"I told you it was going to be a lot to handle. We demons are insatiable." And then Regina conjured up a toy around her hips, long and phallic shaped. She'd start small; seven inches wasn't too big, was it? She didn't know about human standards but she guessed their sizes were way smaller than demon males.

"What's that?" Wary eyes opened wide.

"A strap on. It might hurt a bit." Regina grabbed the tops of Emma's knees and spread them apart as far as they would go, situating herself perfectly in between.

Despite being tired, Emma couldn't stop the arousal flaring to life once more in her. Damn it, since when had she been this horny. She supposed it had to do with repressing it for so long. And with the fact that Regina had just taken off her negligee, putting all of her beauty on plain view-skin slightly slick with sweat, dusky pink nipples hard. Now Emma would feel skin against skin. And that took away any qualms she might have against the pain she might feel. She knew she'd no longer be a virgin after this, but she didn't care. The thought of being connected so intimately with Regina made her want it all, want anything the demon could dish out as long as she felt this connected. Never had she felt this close to anyone before.

"Make me yours," she whispered and watched as the effect her words had on the demon manifested in flaring nostrils, darkened eyes, and a low growl.

Regina positioned the head of the strap on right against Emma's lips, teasingly rubbing it up and down before nudging that slowly in. The brunette cast a questioning look into Emma's eyes. She wanted to make sure the blonde was okay with this; while Regina would love to already be so deep inside her that Emma could taste the plastic of the strap on, she didn't want to shatter any trust between them. When Emma nodded her head shortly, Regina let out a shaky sigh of elation. Then, she steadied her hands by Emma's rapidly rising ribs and with a quick motion pushed herself all the way in.

Emma took in a sharp inhale as needle like pain sprouted under her taunt stomach. "Sorry," Regina amended kissing the quivering flesh there. "It had to be quick. Hurts less this way."

Emma merely nodded her head. Scratch her previous statement, this was definitely the fullest she had ever felt. She felt like she could barely move. Regina slowly rolled her hips into Emma, letting the girl get used to it, peppering her lips with soft kisses to help the pain away.

Emma was now hers. All hers.

Fuck, that felt good to know.

No one could take this away from her. No one.

And the high from it, was stronger than any feeling Regina would have derived from taking a human soul, and that was saying a lot, since demons basically lived for those moments. Regina hadn't expected this to matter to her so much, but right now, she couldn't think on it, couldn't figure out the implications of it. Her mind was under a white fog and her body moving on autopilot.

Regina took in the sight of blonde tresses spread out haphazardly, of flushed cheeks, and parted lips and gently moved a tendril of hair aside. "Beautiful," she whispered, pressing another soft kiss to Emma's face. This one on her nose. Emma looked divine right now, with her heavenly locks and big green eyes full of wonder and darkened by lust. Her little angel; defiled by a demon into sin. The thought only turned Regina on more, and she wanted to help Emma reach the deepest darkest pit of hell with her with screams of ecstasy on her lips.

Regina began to slide her way in and out of Emma slowly, the blonde squirming with the motion. She felt like every inch of her core was being caressed by Regina right now, the strap on hitting all of her walls.

It was too much and not enough at the same time. "Hurry," she whimpered out. She wanted to find release again. Wanted to feel that taunt feeling breaking.

Regina wordlessly complied, speeding up the motions of her hips, her own breaths growing more labored. She had been able to stave off the need to touch herself but it was getting a bit too unbearable to ignore now. Wet slick noises filled the air as the two of them came together then apart, and Regina lowered her lips to suck on Emma's breasts, making sure to cover them in saliva before helping herself to biting down on them, hard enough to draw blood. She wanted Emma to look in the mirror and realize just whose she was. The blonde's screams couldn't stop now, increasing in crescendo each time Regina pushed into her. And still Regina wanted to hear more, so she thrust harder, so hard that the mattress rocked and the sheets got pulled with their motions.

Pants came out from her lips in short bursts and she had to relent her assault on Emma's breasts so that she could hold back the keen of want that bubbled up in her throat. Her hands fisted in the sheets by Emma's head, ripping through the fabric as she tried to hold back her own climb but already her legs were quivering with intent.

"Uh, fuck, oh, Regina!" Emma cried out, wrapping her legs around the brunette's hips to pull her in tighter and deeper, the tip of the toy hitting Emma's g-spot.

A litany of nonsensical words left Emma's mouth as she shuddered, tears coming to her eyes. This, she thought, was what losing your mind must feel like. Uncontrollable and strong and so heady that you wanted the sensation to return. It took her a while to come down from this third high and she knew there was no way she could make a fourth climb up. Regina noticed this, removing herself gently from Emma's core and pulling the girl under the covers after undoing her wrists. They were a bit red and Regina murmured a quick spell to take care of that. She didn't heal the marks she'd left on Emma with her lips. She wanted those there for the whole world to see.

Emma felt boneless and her eyes were already slipping closed. Regina wrapped her arms around her, letting the blonde snuggle up to her. There was a throb between her legs but she would take care of it later. First, she wanted to see Emma drift off to sleep. No doubt she had exhausted the girl.

"So...good," Emma mumbled out sleepily against the demon's collarbone. For once everything felt right in the world.

Regina let a smile be her answer. "Go to sleep."

"But...you?" A long yawn.

"Next time," Regina promised, kissing the top of the silly human's head.

Emma let out an acquiescing grunt.

Within seconds she was out and Regina slipped away to relieve herself privately.

* * *

It had been two days after that wonderful evening in bed, and Emma was still a bit sore between the legs from it. That didn't discourage her from wanting more. She wanted that sense of closeness again; it was the closest she had ever felt with anyone. That moment when she and Regina had been joined together, bodies wrapped around each other, skin to skin, lips stuck to lips.

But she was embarrassed to bring up her need to Regina again. The demon was acting like her usual self. Acerbic, and mocking and evil. So had nothing changed between them?

Emma was confused.

Maybe demons didn't know how to date?

Maybe they thought  _this_  was dating.

Or maybe Regina didn't like what they just done? Was Emma that bad of a lay?

Insecurities ate up at her and wouldn't let her sleep in the comforting hold of her demon at night.

"Are you feeling alright?" Regina asked, worried for the worry she saw on Emma's face these past days. Did she regret what she had done? Ever since their night together, she had been acting distant. Had Regina come on too strong? She didn't want to lose her little human.

She chewed on her lower lip. What did she do now?

"Huh? Oh, yea, I am." Emma's answer was clearly lacking. But what could she be hiding? Perhaps a kiss would help.

She grabbed the girl by the upper arm, stopping their current trek through the woods. Then she leaned in and pressed a close mouthed kiss to Emma's lips. "Something's bothering you. What is it?"

Emma's face was flushed. "You haven't touched me since then," she blurted out, blaming the kiss on turning her brain to mush. She hadn't been planning to say that.

"I thought you might have regretted it," Regina pulled away.

"No. I don't regret it."

"Good, then-" but Regina's bid to pin Emma against the tree and resume their past activities was cut off as a chill went down her back. She whirled on her heel and scanned the brush around them. But it was silent, only the chirping of birds to be heard.

"Regina. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing." Regina shook her head. She was certain she had just felt a demonic presence. And not just any kind. A strong power.

But now the pressure was gone. Who could it have been?

A stray demon that had wondered into her dimension and then scented her and gotten scared? Her lips twisted up in contemplation but she didn't want to scare Emma off with a false alarm. She turned with a false smile on her lips. "Shall we continue?"

"Yes," Emma breathed out, falling into Regina's arms. "But this time, I want to touch you."

And that was how Emma found herself eating out Regina while the demon writhed above her. "Do that... _yes_ , that thing," she hissed out her instructions as her hands tangled in blonde locks, grinding herself down so hard on Emma's face the blonde was afraid she'd come out of this with a broken nose. She was surprised she was doing so well; she was afraid she wouldn't be able to satisfy Regina, but the demon was in the throes of passion, skin light with sweat and sheets ripped up where she had grabbed on to tether herself to this realm.

They'd been going at this for a while now, Emma practicing making Regina cum with only her mouth. So far the demon had orgasmed two times and now was building up to her third. Emma's jaw was getting sore and so was her tongue. She didn't even know tongues could get sore. "Mmmmm, Em-ma," Regina's broken cries broke through the sounds of hurried licking and Emma felt wetness spill down her chin as pride filled her. There, now she and Regina were even in how many times they'd made each other come.

Emma sat up, savoring the taste of Regina on her lips. She tasted dark and heady, like smoke and fire.

"Good job, my little human," Regina purred as she pulled Emma into a lazy and lethargic kiss before rolling on top of her, eager to have her way with Emma now. She had yet to try true bondage on her. Emma tied up, vulnerable, as Regina had her way with her, ravishing her thoroughly as the blonde called out her name from behind the gag. Mmmm, Regina's mouth watered at the thought.

"Magic." Emma was trying to get something out between the wet kisses and Regina pulled away to let her speak.

"What about magic?"

"Do you think we could use it to make each other feel better?"

Regina gave an evil smirk. "Of course we can." There had been no shortage of times she'd used magic to make someone reach orgasm without even using her hands. "I'll have to teach you some tricks, first. For now," she pulled out some bindings from thin air, "I'm tying you up again. Reach behind your ears with your legs."

"You trying to make a pretzel out of me?" Emma huffed in amusement, rubbing her face against one of Regina's hard nipples before encasing it with her lips and biting down as hard as she could.

"Fuck yes," Regina cried out, unsure what she had just said that to: the question or the way Emma had bit down. She rolled her hips into Emma's once more, briefly forgetting about the bondage while Emma left red love marks all over Regina's ample chest.

It was when they had finally retired to bed after their three hours of love making that Regina was woken up again by that strong presence, several chills running down her back. But this time, it didn't leave as quickly, lingering. Regina slipped out from where she lay under the covers naked and padded out to the balcony. The air was cool on her naked skin but she didn't bother to cover herself up, eyes scanning the darkness outside intently. She could see nothing out here. Had they already gone?

She was certain the magical barrier she had enforced around the castle would make it hard for the demon to get in without raising some alarms, so that meant whoever it was, was now gone. But that signature they had left behind...it was odd. Strong, yes, but somehow familiar.

Almost like Regina's own signature, but corrupted by some other magic. Regina let out a low growl. She'd be damned if she allowed another demon to interfere with her and Emma's lives. She picked up her hands and began to chant lowly, purple magic radiating out and reinforcing the protective measures around the castle. Now the demonic intruder would be fried upon contact.

* * *

That had been a month back, and while the intruder hadn't made a reappearance, the knowledge of them stayed in the back of Regina's head, making her more wary. She didn't tell Emma a single thing. She didn't want to worry the poor girl. She looked so happy nowadays and whereas Regina once loved taking away human's happiness (she still did, but apparently not in the case of Emma ) she wanted to give happiness. And she would have been ashamed of her own weakness if she stopped to think on it.

But she didn't. She could barely think when she was around Emma, when all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around the girl and breathe in her divinely scent and taste those soft lips, full of purity and good. She wanted to make her smile. Wanted to take her to more places so they could spend time together. So she took her to the Winter Solstice, which was being held in the Evil Queen's castle. The whole place was decked out in red and purple and the lights were all off. All the residents of this world shuffled into the castle in silence, dressed in dark colors.

"What is this day about?" Emma had asked, picking at her tight black pants as Regina laced up her last lace and did a twirl in the full length mirror to admire her figure. She looked positively regal and evil, decked out in dark satin, lips a dark burgundy, and red jewels sparkling as the only touch of color on her.

"It would be what your world calls a pagan holiday. But to the resident's here, it is like Christmas. Though with less gifts and more blood." She smoothed down the wrinkles on her dress.

Emma hiked up a brow. "Blood?" She didn't look appalled by the thought, just intrigued.

"The residents of this world come together by a giant fire and under the light of the solstice, they offer up sacrifices of livestock in order to seek favor with the gods and curry in bountiful harvests, or calm lives, or to have any other wish they want to make fulfilled. And then they share the tongue with others."

"Share the tongue?"

Regina turned to Emma, a smirk on her lips before she made a crude expression of sticking out her tongue between two fingers.

"Ohhhh!" Emma's eyes opened wide. "So an orgy?"

"Not just any kind of orgy. A blood orgy. It's not every day you get to see Snow White coated in her beloved animal's blood, fucking like a rabbit."

"I'm never going to be able to look at Snow White at Disneyland the same way again. Did you organize all this?" But there was no real disgust in Emma's voice. Guess Prince Charming wasn't all that in bed.

"I did not, surprisingly. It was whoever created this world that did. Apparently it must have been amusing for them to see innocent characters acting vile and depraved." Really, she would have liked to congratulate that entity for their idea. It was hilarious.

Not knowing what else to comment, Emma stuck out her arm for Regina to hold onto. "Shall we go? I'm curious to see you bathing in debauchery."

Regina's lips curled up. Oh, she had already done more than just that.

With that they poofed right out and into the throne room where all the citizens of this world were kneeling in front of the raised dais that Regina was now on. A giant pit was there, yet unlit, the glow of the full moon hovering over it through the circular opening in the ceiling.

"In spirit of the Winter Solstice, we have come together to offer up our bodies, along with the blood of the fruit of our land, in the hopes that our next year will be prosperous and that our wishes will come true." Her words rang loud and clear and she lit the fire with a snap of her fingers, giant flames licking upwards. "Now, let the ritual commence!"

Emma watched more out to the sidelines what was going on. One by one people would bring their goats, or their cows, or chickens and slit their throats with a special ceremonial knife before letting all the blood drain out into a giant pool in the middle of the room that had been empty before. The animals dying cries echoed around the chamber until they died out like the embers of a fire before joining the flames that ate their bodies greedily.

All the while the rest of the populace would chant some sort of dark hymn, words in a language that Emma didn't understand. It almost sounded like they were a mix of different languages. She could catch some German here and there, but the other languages escaped her comprehension.

Finally, when enough blood had been gathered, Regina clapped her hands and in a hurried rush the populace stripped off their clothes, making a mad dash to the pool. "Let us bathe in the life these animals have given us, and offer our very souls and base desires to the gods who watch this land."

The chanting had stopped and instead the splashing of blood and giggling of voices as people latched onto one another, smearing blood onto skin and baring teeth as they got ready, filled the air. Emma recognized some characters. There was Mulan with chunks of blood in her hair; there was Grumpy the Dwarf crawling between the legs of Happy the Dwarf.

Regina held out a hand to Emma. "Shocked?" Moans filled the air.

Emma nodded her head. "Hearing about it and seeing it are two different things. I still can't look at fairy-tales the same way."

"Yes, well now you know a bit more about this world. About some of my history."

"I don't want you to do this anymore. I don't want to...share," Emma's voice got low as she thought of Regina being covered in hands and mouths that weren't her own.

Was Emma jealous? She hadn't meant to make her like this. She only wanted to show her something unique that the human world did not have. Regina looked her little human over; the way her jaw was tight and her hold on Regina's hand too strong. "Don't worry," she whispered, stepping in front of Emma to block the sight of the orgy and touching her chin lightly. "I don't want to do these things with anyone but you. Now, shall we go celebrate this our own way?"

With that, they disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke and right onto Regina's bed, the brunette straddling the blonde's lap. The moonlight from the window illuminated their already naked figures. Regina used the light to take in Emma's figure while the blonde did the same. They sat like that in silence for a little while, just enjoying the other's curves with hungry and soft eyes, soaking in the comforting fact they had each other. Then Regina leaned in and kissed her softly.

And while the residents of this world engaged in carnal desire and bloody pleasure, Regina and Emma partook in heart warming and soul satisfying sex.

For neither knew it, but they had finally crossed that thin line between them and fallen in love.


	14. Things are not What They Seem

* * *

_She's got two little horns/ And they get me a little bit/ Cause her hell's my paradise_

-Horns, Bryce Fox-

* * *

Seduce Emma Swan to the dark side. That had been the plan. And Regina had thought she would have no qualms carrying it out. But she was wrong.

She hadn't expected Emma to seduce her in return. Though to be fair, the girl hadn't known she was doing it, and that was the most dangerous part of it all. That Emma was able to do it without trying, and Regina let her- something that was equally as dangerous.

Regina knew it was stupid and inadvisable to let this happen. To let Emma turn her heart into mush. The last time she had surrendered to love was about a hundred years ago and Cora had seen to destroying it. But she couldn't help it. Emma poured her love into Regina with her mouth between her thighs, infecting her body and soul and mind.

And Regina didn't want it to stop.

She squirmed on the bed, panting, and one hand clenching the bed sheets, other gripping Emma's head.

"Harder. Harder," she gasped, bucking her hips up violently. She was so close, she could feel it. She could feel herself losing all control as her body screamed for release.

Emma complied and bit down on Regina's clit, earning a pleased hiss that turned into a moan as Regina finally came, her neck straining as she tossed her head back and bit her lip hard to muffle her screams of ecstasy. Emma finished up, cleaning up the mess with her mouth before sliding her way back up and tracing the marks she had left on Regina's skin. The demon liked pain in her pleasure and bite marks, fingernail marks, all so deep that they bruised and bleed, littered her body. Already they were disappearing due to her rapid healing, but something new had appeared as Regina came down from her high.

Emma sat up, intrigued. "Are those horns?"

"Hmm?" Regina opened her eyes, still floating peacefully.

"On your forehead." Emma reached out and touched one, seeing her own reflection in it. It was completely black and shiny; like looking at obsidian stone. The pair of them were not too large, situated perfectly and touching the start of Regina's hair.

Regina touched them, surprised they had shown up. She was usually good at hiding them in her human form. She hadn't meant for them to come out but orgasm must have brought them out, made her lose control over her magic. "I'll hide them."

Emma slapped Regina's hands away. "Don't do that. I like them. They're cute."

"Cute?" Regina scoffed. "They're not supposed to look cute. But terrifying."

"Sure, you grump," Emma rolled onto Regina, letting the softness of their chests brush against each other as she planted a soft kiss on the brunette's lips. Then she bent her head and bit down hard on the junction of Regina's neck. She had been worried about being too rough but Regina could take anything she dished out and even goaded her into being rougher. "Shall I use the paddle this time? Or do you want the whip?"

"You're not satisfied yet?" Regina groaned as Emma moved down and bit along her collarbone.

"Never. Not with you," Emma answered honestly, slipping her hand between Regina's legs once more.

Regina didn't even have the strength to deny her this. "You demon," she whimpered as Emma began to circle her fingers harshly against her sensitive nub. Emma's stamina was insane now that she was more experienced. The demon must have awoken something deep inside her; some buried want and need. She could keep up for rounds with Regina. This was what? Round ten?

"I thought that was you?" Emma teased. The blonde had flourished into a woman over the past six months they had been in the Enchanted Forest. And Regina couldn't decide if she liked surrendering to the upper hand Emma had on her sometimes, or if she hated it. Probably hated to love it.

Emma began to speed up her hand, roughly entering Regina who hissed out her pleasure and dug her nails harshly into Emma's skin. She was going to reach her climax again and soon.

If a demon could reach heaven, then Emma's touch would be the closest thing to it.

When they finally finished, freshly washed and bodies relaxed, they cuddled up on the couch downstairs in their private quarters. Emma had begged Regina to bring a TV here, and while the demon had been stubborn at first, she couldn't resist the sight of the blonde on her knees before her, or of the compelling argument her tongue buried between her legs made. So they got the TV and now they were watching a show of sorts. Once Upon a Crime had finally ended, the show descending into a mess without it's superb leads in it. Emma's hand was running over Regina's stomach, making circles. It was an entirely domestic scene.

Completely too domestic. They should have known it wouldn't last for long, not given their luck.

And this time it was Emma who broke the serenity for them. "Can I tell you something?" she asked.

"Why are you hesitating? You don't have to ask my permission." Emma normally didn't pause before speaking, always saying what was on her mind. Why was she so timid now?

Emma shrugged, her hands stilling on Regina's stomach. She turned and sat facing Regina, smiling dreamily at her. Emma seemed to glow with radiance lately and Regina wondered why that was. "I know that things are...special between us, given who you are and who I am. And I know that you might not feel the same level of depth of feelings for me. But I just have to say this. Just have to get this off of my chest. And you don't have to reciprocate," Emma hastily added at the end when she saw Regina open her mouth.

What was Emma going on about now? A dread feeling settled into Regina's gut.

"I just wanted to tell you...I...I love you," Emma said softly and Regina felt her insides freeze as the room around them suddenly shook. White light permeated from Emma, warm and gentle on the skin, and spread outwards until it finally died down in intensity and left sparkles floating in the air. Emma looked on in wonder. "What the fuck was that?" Her eyes were wide.

Despite the warmth of the rays prior, Regina was almost shaking with cold. This was bad. Very bad.

Whatever evil stains that Emma had on her soul...were just gone.

Vanished.

Into thin air.

Like someone had gotten a bleach pen and just dabbed them out.

How. How was this possible?

"Regina? Are you okay?" Emma asked, but no, Regina was not okay. She got up stiffly from the couch and poofed away, somewhere far, far into the woods of her world. She needed air. Needed time to think. Needed to blow some shit up. With a snarl she waved her hand and knocked out a whole row of trees next to her, uprooting the whole ground with them.

No. Nononononononono, this was  _bad. Really_ bad. Her mother was going to kill her. After all that effort in turning Emma's soul from white to gray to almost black with each kiss and fuck, now it was pure white again. All because Emma had said those three little words. In fact, those three little words should have finished the corruption of Emma's soul. But they hadn't.

Falling in bed with a demon was one of the bigger sins a human could commit, but being in love with a demon...that was something else. That was even worse, yet apparently when Emma was in love with one it rewrote the whole paradigms of archaic rules.

What kind of bullshit was this?

Fuck! Now she would have to do everything all over again and she was running out of time!

She didn't even know what to do anymore. What even was her purpose? She had none. There was no more reason for her to stay around Emma if she couldn't even do the one task she had been assigned all those years ago.

Regina took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. No, there was no need to worry. She was a Mills. They didn't just give up. Regina would try again. And again and again until she finally succeeded. She couldn't let this failure scare her away.

Inner fires reinvigorated, she took a calming breath and held her back out straight. She had to head back to Emma. No doubt the girl was confused as to what had happened. Regina leaving in the middle of that was bound to raise questions and concerns. But just as she was about to leave, she felt that presence behind her. It had been a constant thing, on and off for months on end. Regina had tried tracking it down once or twice before but never found anything. Usually it stayed far away. Not this time.

Now, it was right behind her, radiating with evil intent. Regina slowly turned around, eyes taking in the form of the demon next to her.

The demon was three feet away, and it wore the form of a red haired woman, eyes glimmering darkly like the jewels on her black long dress, sleeves flared out around her. "So you're the one whose been stalking me all these months," Regina said evenly.

"Stalking?" The woman had a British accent. "I wouldn't call it that."

"Than what would you call it?"

"Observing."

"Why."

"Not why, but for who."

"Whom," Regina couldn't help from correcting.

The red haired woman waved her hand. "Pish posh. Who, whom, same as po-ta-toe, po-tah-toe." She giggled. "I've been doing it for mother dearest. She was worried you wouldn't be able to keep up your end of the job."

"Mother? Do you mean Cora?" Snakes of fear curled down her spine.

"Who else, silly." Regina really didn't like how this woman talked. All show and no substance.

"Mother only has six daughters."

"That she's revealed. But there are more you don't know about." The red head threw her hands up. "Say hello to your new half sister, Zelena!"

"Half sister?" That explained partially why Zelena's signature was so close to Regina's. Yet...all of Cora's daughters weren't directly related to each other. How did that make Zelena her new half sister? On second thought, she didn't care. Demon birth lines were convoluted and she didn't want to get into it with this demon wannabe. "Well, I don't appreciate being spied on. So kindly take your business elsewhere."

"Oh, I don't think that's going to happen any time soon. You see, I've been trying to get you out of that castle for ages," she smiled, clasping her hands behind her back. The shields up on it had been too strong for Zelena's magic.

Regina had been in the castle for quite a while, but she didn't see any point in going to the outside world when everything important was there, including Emma. "I tried setting the world on fire, killing off your minions, even declaring myself the new queen, yet nothing worked." Regina vaguely recalled that happening outside her windows but she couldn't care less about her people. After all, they couldn't die and would just come back. "But imagine my luck and surprise when I saw that you finally left, and it was because Emma was able to push you out. What did she do to cause that? Did you have a lover's spat?"

"What happened isn't important to you-"

"Oh, but it is. Because you failed to take Emma's soul, and have instead fallen in love with her!"

Regina stood there quietly, absorbing the absurdity of that statement, before throwing her head back and roaring with laughter. "Really? You think I'm in love with Emma? How ridiculous. I was only trying to seduce her soul into damnation!"

Zelena laughed her own laugh. Whereas Regina's was low and robust, her's was tinny and high. "This is rich! You are in love with Emma and you don't even know it! How blind can you be!"

This stopped Regina's laughter short. "I'm not in denial over it, I truly am not in love with Emma!"

"Sure, sure," Zelena waved a flippant hand. "You tell yourself that. Regardless, I'm here to take over as demon in charge for Emma. Mother's orders."

Regina felt anger curl in her veins. "You're going to enter a contract with her? When did mother order this!"

"A month ago. You would've known had your head not been up Emma's ass."

This wasn't good news. She couldn't let another demon take over. Emma was hers!

Zelena sensed this. "Territorial? Don't worry, I'll treat Emma right. I just know how she loves that little trick that you do with your tongue, or how she likes to be spanked."

"Don't you dare!" No one was going to touch Emma like that except for Regina! Possessive rage filled her.

"And you say you don't love her," Zelena tsked, shaking her head. "Fine. If you don't want to give her up, than I'll have to fight you for it. If I win-"

"You won't," Regina grit out, ready to battle to the death if she had to, to keep Emma as hers. Then she launched into her second form.

Zelena did the same. Orange smoke enveloped her and she reemerged changed. Her outfit was black, and her skin totally green. A long nose protruded from her face and it was covered in warts and dripping with mucus. On her head sat a pointy hat, and in her hand was a spindly broom. Her giant googly eyes, which stared in both the wrong direction, span in their sockets as she laughed witch-like. "We'll see whose the better daughter!"

"I have no need to prove myself," one of the mouths on Regina's hair hissed. The voice was dry, like rustling leaves.

"I'm clearly the better daughter," hissed another.

"Cocky little shit!" Zelena spat out and lifted her broom up. From the tip of it magic blasted out. Regina nimbly avoided it by jumping to the side. The magic was powerful, proving that Zelena was in some way related to Regina. But the way she cast her spells- Regina analyzing as she simply avoided or blocked the spells lazily- was sloppy. She had no proper training. Regina would be able to take her down easily.

Or maybe, she didn't need to kill her half sister. Maybe she could come into use as a hostage. Regina had a nifty little device in her Vault that would let her do that. First, she'd have to weaken Zelena.

Erecting up a shield on all sides, she lifted the flats of her palms to the sky and let storm clouds gather above her. Zelena was so busy trying to blast the shield's down that she didn't notice this, until lightening struck Regina's hands, brightening the dark of the woods. "I feel like my greeting to you earlier was lacking. How rude of me." More electricity continued to pour into Regina, sparking down her figure and running into the ground. Zelena paused to admire the sheer power, mouth gaping open. "My name is Regina Malum, or Regina Mills. Evil Queen if you want to use my demon name. I am the second highest ranked demon in hell, and my mother is Cora, the top demon in hell. I have walked the earth for centuries, and I own and am master of several world's, one in which you are currently intruding. Our family doesn't take kindly to intruders, or to those who try to steal from us. In fact, we do not take kindly to anything, and have ravaged and destroyed more civilizations than times you have breathed." The sky had gone completely dark over the two of them, white flashes of light contrasting sharply. "Oh, also I like burning things, eating healthy food, and I love the color purple.

There, now that you know whose going to kick your ass, welcome to the family."

With that, Regina took down her shields and sent her charged attack at Zelena. Zelena had come to her senses earlier and threw up her own types of shields. She wasn't going to run away. She wanted to show that she was worthy of being finally accepted into this family; was worthy of Cora showing her off to the public and not keeping her hidden like some failed experiment.

Alas, today was not the day.

The attack ripped through the shields and went right into Zelena, who was electrocuted for a good ten minutes before she finally dropped to the ground, smoking but in one piece. She wasn't unconscious but barely clinging onto reality. That was disappointing-it seemed Regina had underestimated Zelena's strength. Everything around her had been scorched and it smelled heavily of ozone. Regina pulled out the device from her Vault and activated it with a flick.

"What are you doing?" Zelena croaked out.

"Putting you somewhere where you can't hurt Emma."

* * *

Emma was worried. Regina had been gone for over an hour. Where could she had gone? Had Emma scared her away with her declaration of love? Or was it the weird glowy light that had scared her?

Emma dearly wished to know the answer, her insecurities eating her up. She knew she'd said it was okay if Regina didn't say I love you back, but she'd never expected the demon to run off. Now what was Emma going to do?

 _Stupid! I should have never said those words,_ she internally berated.  _Maybe I should go after her? But no, what if that only makes things worse?_

Just as she had decided that she had to go out, because what if Regina had gotten into trouble, the woman poofed back into the room. "Regina!" Emma ran and hugged her demon. "I was so worried. I thought you'd gotten hurt or something."

"I'm fine, little one," Regina soothed, patting the top of Emma's head. It was good to come back and see Emma whole, and safe, and most importantly, hers.

"What happened? Why did you leave?" Emma pulled away, eyes trained on Regina for any lies the demon might spout. She wasn't expecting an I love you, but it would have been nice to hear it. So Emma dearly hoped that wasn't the reason for Regina running away. And if it was, than she'd rather Regina say it out loud rather than hide it because that would make Emma feel worse.

Regina knew there was no point in lying. Emma had developed the irritating ability to tell if someone was lying to her. It worked on pretty much everyone, and though Regina was skilled at lying, sometimes even those skills weren't enough to help her. She blamed this ability on Emma's annoying genetics. Why did she of all people have to get such an ability? Demons were built on lies. "I found the problem and solved it."

"What problem?"

Regina pulled away and conjured them two glasses of alcohol to drink before indicating for Emma to sit down. Emma grabbed one of the levitating glasses and sat down with it. "I didn't tell you this because I didn't want to worry you," Regina began carefully, dissecting in her head what could be said and what could be not. "But over the course of our time here, I sensed a strange presence. I wasn't sure what it was at first and whenever I tried to track it down, it would disappear. So I reinforced the protective spells on the castle and stayed here, figuring I could protect you better like this, and that the stranger would also grow bored and leave."

"Were you worried they were here after my soul?" Emma took a sip.

"Yes. And it turned out I was right. I left today because that blast of magic you gave off alerted them and I sensed they wouldn't be holding back. I caught them in the woods. It was a demon, a higher caliber one, but nothing I couldn't handle." Regina gave a cocky smirk. "They are no longer an issue to us."

"You should have told me before."

"I took you to this world so you wouldn't have to worry over such things. I'd be breaking my own vow if I did that, if I let you stress."

Emma sighed reluctantly. She should have known some more demons would pop up to try to take her soul. It was really getting annoying now. "I suppose. But tell me next time. I want to fight these demons too. Show them that I am not some weakling."

"Will do. Why don't you start with this demon right here?" Regina said coyly, biting her bottom lip, leaning into Emma's space. Regina was feeling desperate. She needed to re-corrupt Emma's soul. What better way than sex with a demon?

"You want me to fight you?" Emma asked, voice lowering as she stroked a hand down Regina's cheek. It was such a loving gesture. Zelena's words ran in Regina's head like a train wreck.  _You're in love with Emma._

No. No, this wasn't love. Zelena had only been trying to rile up Regina. Regina was going to prove her wrong. This was going to be meaningless to her, just a means to the end. She poofed Emma and herself into the bedroom.

They were both naked as Regina pushed Emma onto her back, nipping delightfully at Emma's collarbone, raking her nails down Emma's rib cage as the blonde gasped out breath after breath. Regina was relentless in her assault. She kissed Emma hard until the human's head spun. She pinched and fondled Emma's breasts, left angry claw marks on her stomach, and her lips were merciless on Emma's nether lips. The girl was coming in mere minutes. Yet, her soul color hadn't changed. Regina's job still wasn't done.

She materialized some rope and candles, and some paddles and handcuffs. She was going to use them all on Emma. She was going to make Emma's soul darker than black.

"What's gotten into you today?" Emma asked in a scream hoarse voice once the third round was over. Regina was intense today, frantic, as if trying to covey something with her actions that her words could not.

"I was just...worried. Seeing that demon made me realize I could have lost you again," Regina murmured out from between Emma's thighs where she was quickly driving Emma to her fourth orgasm. Emma drove her fingers into Regina's hair and anchored herself there as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, letting out a soft moan from the back of her throat as her body shuddered. With a few more carefully placed licks she was over the crest and this time sitting up. Her body needed a bit of a break.

"Where are you going?" Regina asked as the blonde woman freed herself from the ropes around her arms.

"To you. I haven't touched you yet," Emma said, splaying her hands over Regina's ample chest.

"It's fine. Tonight is about you," Regina caged Emma's wrists to hold her back but Emma just wrapped her legs around Regina's waist and sank a deep kiss with tongue onto her. Regina's eyes fluttered close as she let the kiss overtake her, let herself taste Emma. Emma always tasted faintly of vanilla. While Regina was distracted Emma freed her hands and slipped them between their pressed bodies. One held onto Regina's tanned hip while the other delved into her heat, gathering up the moisture there.

Regina groaned into Emma's mouth and her hips rocked into the motion of Emma's stroking before the blonde pushed three fingers roughly into her. Then using some of her magic like they had done before, she began to send warm pulsations through Regina's inner walls which clenched in appreciation. Regina's arms tangled behind Emma's head, pulling her closer, hips riding harder as arousal over came her. She felt so safe and loved for in Emma's hold.

A bolt of panic hit her on the L word. She couldn't believe she had just used it.

 _This isn't love this isn't love..._  Regina reiterated over and over in her head while her body fell apart in pleasure, while her heart squeezed with adoration, and her soul soared with freedom. Once she'd come down from her high, she opened her eyes and looked at Emma, the girl's eyes holding affection. And her soul...after all those rounds...

Emma's soul was unerringly still pure. As pure as snow. Regina couldn't do this anymore.

With a frustrated sob, Regina disappeared into the night.

* * *

She wandered in the woods for a while, naked but not noticing the cold at all. Her arms were wrapped around herself and she didn't know what to do or think. Everything she done for the past decades...useless. Maybe she really was a failure like her mother said she was. Regina had to amend this. Had to make something of it. Maybe if she took Emma back to the human world? Maybe there the distractions of other demons and human problems would help distance Regina from Emma. Yes, that was what this all was. Regina had spent too much time locked in with the human in close space. That's why she was all out of wack. But going to the human world and placing some distance between them would help.

Vigor renewed, she clothed herself once more and made way to the castle to where Emma had wrapped a robe around her shoulders. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her brows were furrowed. "What now?" Emma knew Regina was hiding something, but what? What could have scared her off like that.

The demon's face didn't waver, or betray any emotion as she spoke. "More demons. I think we may need to world hop for a little bit."

Emma knew there was a lie there somewhere, but she didn't say anything. She wanted to give Regina the benefit of the doubt. Hoped that Regina would eventually tell her the truth of her own volition. "For how long?" she settled on saying, watching Regina's face for a hint of anything as to why she was doing this now.

Regina's face was stone. "I don't know. Until we are safe again. And we're going to the human dimension once more."

"Why? Why the human world? Isn't it the most dangerous there for me?" Emma pointed out, tightening her hold.

"That's exactly why we should go there. They won't expect us to go there again."

Emma said nothing, just kept Regina's gaze. What could be bothering the demon? She looked half scared, but what could have scared her so? Emma sighed out, pushing some hair from her face. "Fine. I'll pack up my stuff and be ready in half an hour."

"Good. That's enough time for me to handle my affairs here," Regina said and then strode off to deal with outstanding issues with her kingdom.

When half an hour had passed, Emma stood with one suitcase in hand. Everything else had been swallowed up into Regina's Vault, a place that Emma to this day did not know what it was for or what was in it. "Ready?" Regina asked after waving a swirling purple vortex into life.

"Ready." Then Emma grasped Regina by the hand and they jumped through. After the loud hum and the bright purple of the travel faded from Emma's senses her jaw dropped open. "Regina, are you sure this is the right place?"

All around Emma there were steaming piles of rubble, small fires ignited in some of them. Cars, trucks, lay scattered around, blood pooled around them and the still human bodies unfortunate enough to be caught in the wave of whatever enemy was attacking this place. Distant screams of pain echoed around, followed by explosions. The sky over them was blood red, not even the clouds safe from the crimson saturation. The wind carried the stench of death around them. "What the fuck is going on?" Emma walked towards one of the still bodies next to her. It looked human, so was it the human world? "Regina?" Emma whipped her head towards the brunette who had covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes were alive with horror.

"This _is_  the human world."

"Then what the hell is happening!" Emma was losing her patience for Regina's lack of composure.

Regina swallowed heavily, her voice hoarse.

"The Apocalypse."

Emma sat down at those words, bruising her skin from how hard she fell down. "For real?" her voice was small and broken. Her mind couldn't grasp what was occurring. It had to be a joke.

But no, this didn't look like a joke. It was too real.

They had actually stumbled into the apocalypse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This concludes the first half of the story. I'll be putting up the second half as soon as I can get most of it planned out and finished. Second half will definitely have more fight scenes and it will also have some relationship drama.


	15. Part Two- Angels and Demons

* * *

_When the sky above us fell_

_We descended into hell_

_Into kingdom come-_

_No More Heroes,_ _Aviators_

* * *

Emma had thought the Apocalypse was just something that the Bible touted about in order to scare people into repenting for their sins. Yet, here it was, happening right before her very eyes. Emma was caught right smack in the middle of it. She should have expected such a disaster to be real. After all, demons existed, so why couldn't this?

But it was just...the  _magnitude_. How could Emma wrap her head around it? It was a lot to take in. And she was too shocked to be fearful of the implications of such a disaster. How had this even happened? Was it because she and Regina had left? But no, they were two irrelevant dots in the known universe. So what had  _happened?_

The Apocalypse should have been a dream come true for Regina. After all, it was every demons ultimate goal: to bring about the complete and total annihilation of the human race. But it brought her no comfort to know this because what it meant was that Cora was here. And that was dangerous for both Emma and Regina. Cora would come after Emma, and Regina couldn't have that. She had to get Emma out of here, and  _now_  before someone sensed them.

But it was too late.

The sky above them cracked open as a blue bolt of light hit the ground next to them, sending Emma falling onto her ass again due to the shock waves. She scrambled to her feet, leaving her suitcase where it was on the floor. She sensed she would need her hands free to fight and soon.

The smoke cleared from where the bolt had cratered the ground. From the dust two figures emerged. They wore pure white clothes and their skin seemed to glow with some internal radiance. Looking at them hurt Emma's eyes. Who the hell were these characters? Demons? But no, they didn't give off that evil vibe. They had power radiating from them that was...calmer?

Regina immediately knew who they were. She stiffened behind Emma. "Angels," she hissed the word out like it was a blight on her.

Angels? Great, just great. Of course they existed. They had to. Regina hadn't lied about their existence, so then why had they avoided Emma's prayers all those years ago? Why had they left her to evil? Her hands curled up into fists and magic swirled inside her, eager to seek out vengeance for how she had been slighted and ignored as a child, left to her cruel foster parents hands.

"Halt there demon," spoke the male Angel, his voice majestic and booming. "And let the human go."

"I am no common demon, for you to assume you can command me like that," Regina spat out, transforming into her secondary form with a small blast of magic. That made Emma a bit concerned. Regina usually resisted turning into her second form if she could avoid it. Were the angels really that dangerous? Well, demons and angels  _were_  reputedly mortal enemies so maybe this was entirely normal. Emma snorted to herself. Nice how an encounter between an Angel and a Demon were normal to her now. "And this human is mine and not yours to take." Hints of possessiveness filtered Regina's words.

"We know who you are Regina," the female angel said, smiling faintly, almost like she was tired. "Has it not been decades of strife between us?"

"Ah, is that you Mary Margaret? I must say, the centuries have not aged you well. I did not recognize you," Regina said maliciously though she would have recognized their faces anywhere. She had seen them all too often for her tastes in the past millennia- they were unchanging, the one constant in her life. No matter the era, or the world, those two pairs of smiling faces and piercing eyes would forever haunt her like a fever dream, would forever be recognizable as a mark of a real challenge to begin.

Mary Margaret Blanchard and her disgustingly loving and faithful husband David Nolan Charming. Two migraines that never went away.

Emma's eyes bugged out at that comment. What was Regina talking about? Mary looked like she was in her early twenties. And her skin radiated with youth and virility. Even her hair looked ageless, black curls around her head, bouncy and full. David too looked endlessly young, face handsome and roguish.

Mary twisted her lips up in a way that looked like she was trying hard not to grimace. Her face shortly returned back to it's vaguely perpetually smiling state; she looked like she was always caught in the act of thinking softly on someone she loved, eyes gentle and brows even, lips tugging up in the corners. David's look was more subtle, his eyes glimmering with affection, and lips shaped with longing to burst out into a full grin, the only thing keeping them from doing so him. "I would have thought you remembered your greatest adversary."

This woman was Regina's greatest adversary? She was short, neck swan-like, and with fragile looking arms. She looked more fit for sitting at home and looking pretty than fighting. She looked like one of those ideal women in medieval European paintings, the perfect picture of how a princess should look- prim, proper and pale as a sheet. David too looked like a mimicry of male royalty. Was he an enemy of Regina too? Just what was this past between the two warring factions?

"Greatest adversary? Don't flatter yourself. You're hardly worth thinking about." Regina knew she had to get out of here and quick. This was a highly dangerous and unwelcome situation. But as soon as she opened a portal she knew the blasted angels would be after her. Mary was actually highly dangerous and a cause for much of Regina's failures in the past. David not so much as there wasn't nearly as much bad blood spilled between them. But Regina wouldn't let Mary have the satisfaction of knowing that, despite Mary having been a bane on Regina's immortal existence for many uncountable centuries.

"That sort of hurts my feelings," Mary pouted, genuinely looking sad. Just because they hadn't seen each other in four proper decades, didn't mean Mary stopped thinking of crushing Regina once and for all. "I still think you're my greatest adversary."

"Then clearly you must lead and boring and banal existence if that is the case," Regina retorted, trying to buy a little time to snake her way out this situation.

Angels were odd creatures, Emma thought. The female angel was actually sad about not being Regina's number one enemy? Emma would think a person would leap for joy to have a chance for Regina's famous anger not placed on them.

"Because here I was, thinking about you nonstop. Thinking about how you stole something important from me!" On the second sentence the high cadence of the Angel changed as blue energy suddenly burst from her, sending out wild winds that pushed Emma off of her feet again and into Regina's waiting arms, the demon catching her and holding them both up as the strong energies arising assailed their eyes, almost blinding them.

Mary's hair began to whip back and forth in a breeze of her own powers. David's next to her did the same, his shorter hair not moving with as much fervor. Both of their eyes were glowing and holy shit, since when were Angels so scary? Emma righted herself up. She had fought demons before, but not an angel. How did she even fight one? She definitely wouldn't let Regina take them on alone.

"You're going to have to leave," Regina whispered into Emma's ear urgently. "Don't get involved with them. I'm going to take both of them on." She couldn't risk Emma showcasing her magical abilities in front of these angels.

"Why don't you want me fighting them?" Emma knew she had left most of the fighting up to Regina normally, but that didn't mean she couldn't hold her own, couldn't be useful in some manner.

"Because they are dangerous. And I don't want to have you hurt." This was true, so that was why Emma's lie detector didn't go off, even if Regina was withholding the rest of the answer from her.

"But angels don't kill, right?" Emma was loathe to leave Regina alone. She didn't want her demon to be hurt. Even if Regina didn't say it, Emma could always tell when she was worried, or frightful of something. And these angels were doing that to her, no matter how Regina had postured that Mary and David were of no consequence to her.

"Don't believe those lies," Regina scoffed, flexing her hands, eyeing the angels in front of her who still hadn't made a move. "Angels are just as bloodthirsty and battle-hungry as us demons, yet only we get the bad reputation." Old injustices and grievances flavored Regina's words.

"I was afraid you wouldn't be joining in the heralding of the apocalypse, since your signature was missing from the fray. I was a bit worried you'd gone soft. The rumors had made it seem like you were too involved with a little human to care to be true to your filthy nature. But don't forget who you are Regina, and that is a conniving little monster. I'm glad I got to detect your signature, because now I can repay you for what you did to my family!" Mary roared out, her lips unable to truly form a snarl and thus making it look like she was painfully and politely looking disgusted.

"We're going to destroy you. And we're going to do it using our Love Magic," David proclaimed more calmly.

Regina grit her teeth at that. This was why she hated fighting the Charming's. Their magic was unparalleled compared to other angels. They were able to utilize love magic, and love to a demon was weakness. That was why they were the ultimate demon slaying pair, the couple that every demon save for Cora, was frightened of. They destroyed demons like it was nothing. So far Regina had been lucky in avoiding a similar fate by a combination of trickery and skill in all her meetings with them. But would her luck hold out now?

All she needed was for Emma to get away. Then Regina could plan her escape. Could focus better knowing Emma wouldn't get hurt or wouldn't get in the way.

Or no, better yet...Regina would store Emma somewhere safely.

Because if Emma ran off into the end of the world there was no telling what other dangers she could face. "Emma, I'm going to ask you a big favor." She steeled her nerves, knowing Emma wasn't going to like this no matter how nicely phrased.

"What is it Regina?" Emma didn't like the ashen look on Regina's face.

"I need you to go into hiding for me. In my Vault."

Emma's eyes widened. "Why there?" She didn't even know what was there. And the place sounded creepy.

"I just need you to go there. Please. It's the only safe place I can think of where no one except for me can get to you."

Emma set her jaw grimly, thinking it over. "Why can't I help you-"

"No, Emma. This is my fight and not yours. I don't want you to get hurt. I made the mistake of taking us here, when I shouldn't have. Let me deal with the repercussions." Why was Emma's stubbornness rearing up now in a most inopportune time?

Emma didn't want to leave Regina alone. Not when she had just discovered the true depth of her feelings for the other woman. "We're in this together-"

"Are you done over there?" Mary asked impatiently, fed up with their whispering to each other. "There's a fight I'd like to commence."

"Since when have you become so chatty, Regina?" David questioned. In each fight of their's minimum words were exchanged except those of vile purpose and meaning. Most often it was about the heat and flash of battle, of the magics tearing at each other until one or the other got away, bleeding, licking their wounds in retreat, but defeated never dead for now. Regina was delaying, and it had something to do with the human. He wondered why. What about this human made Regina so hesitant to leap right into throat ripping, bone breaking combat? The strength of the rumors in his mind only increased. He had heard that Regina had recently been taking counsel with a human, bringing her with her on her trips, protecting her from other demons when need be. Regina had even killed the wolf demon Ruby, and attacked Ursula, a Queen of Darkness, to save Emma. Why was that? What was so important about the human? Nevertheless, once they defeated Regina for once and for all, they would know. But first, she needed their comeuppance.

Regina ignored that. "Just trust me. You need to be put away safely." Because if Mary and David ever figured out just who Emma was, it would all be over. Cora would certainly roast Regina's head on the eternal flames of Hell.

 _Just my luck. I run right into the Charming's as soon as I come to Earth_.  _Whose next? Cora?_ Regina snarked inside her head and then panicked-  _Oh Satan please no-_ worried that her mere thoughts would summon her mother. Sweat beaded down her forehead. So far the angel duo were obliviously dense. So that might work in Regina's favor.

"Regina-"

Damn it, and why did Emma have to be so stubborn! Losing patience, Regina summoned up a portal to her Vault under Emma's feet without another moment of discussion. "Don't touch anything there," she warned as a scream left Emma's mouth and she fell into the portal.

"You will free that human when we are done with you," David threatened, fist curling up, in his other hand a massive ax materializing, almost the size of him. It's double ended blades were made of silver with delicate leaf designs carved onto the edges. It's handle was long and made of hardy dark oak wood, a small metal blade ending the weapon. It was one of the Most Holy Weapons of Heaven, only given to those held in high regard by God. It was Faithkeeper, used almost exclusively to kill those without faith, and since demons didn't believe in God, it was a one hit kill on them, vaporizing, rendering their faithless existence apart.

In Mary Margaret's hands, her own weapon appeared, a silver gilded bow with inscriptions of the Bible's words writ all over it in Latin. The Quiver on her back was silver as well, with pictures of angels and demon fighting on it. It was always full of arrows, magic replenishing them so Mary never ran low. The arrows varied in their build depending on what sort of arrow Mary wanted. They shaped to her need and desires unconsciously and that was what made up half of their deadliness. The other half was because they were in her hands, being set free with horrific accuracy. It was another Holy Weapon, called the Messenger, for it always delivered it's message of death to foes.

This wasn't the first time Regina had seen these weapons and lived to tell the tale. And she swore it wouldn't be the last. Still, it always shook her resolve to see the weapons out in broad daylight and she affected a brave front, digging into her own Vault and summoning up her own weapon. It was a rapier, light and not too clunky. This was an enhanced weapon she had stolen in her many recent travels which was rightfully called Decimate. It would decimate anything in it's path, and she was hoping that would mean Mary and David.

"That's if you can finish me off first," Regina hissed and then launched into combat.

* * *

It was dark and silent as death inside the Vault. Emma got up to her feet, dusting her jeans off and peering around in the dark. She could barely make out what was around her even if she squinted her eyes. She lit a small flame in the palm of her hand and found herself in a crypt of sorts. Wet damp stone corridors closed in over her and mist flowed over her ankles. She didn't like this place, not one bit. It was making goosebumps crawl over her skin.

What was she even supposed to do here? Was she expected to wait until Regina finished? Emma snorted in choler. Presumptuous demon. Normally she enjoyed Regina's protectiveness but this was ridiculous. What was so bad about a pair of angels that Emma had to be sent here? It's not like Emma hadn't faced worse things like tentacle demons.

Oh, she was definitely yelling at Regina for this later.

Going to revoke her sex privileges for stuffing her here.

Emma started walking around the crypt out of boredom, avoiding making eye contact with the spots marked as having tombs. Thankfully they were all closed, stone tops weathered and cracked. She wasn't afraid of dead people. She was more afraid they would come back alive and knowing how her life was going it was something more likely than unlikely to happen. Light reflected off of the stones and some rats silently scurried around some bones that had been picked clean. What even was this place? Was it another dimension? Some whole world that Regina controlled? Or was it just a small part of something?

The tunnel eventually widened out in front of Emma and she took the path there, coming into an antechamber with higher ceilings and rows upon rows of shelves. There were a lot of jars there, filled with dark mysterious substances, or watery gels, or bits and pieces of body parts of odd animals. Was that a three eyed goat head? Emma stared into it's lifeless eyes curiously, the flames in her hand reflected in it. Then, it blinked.

Startled she jerked back, colliding with the shelves behind her and almost knocking the jars there over.

"What the fuck," she whispered to herself and not breaking eye contact with the thing until she was out of eye shot, walked out of that row. She kept passing by the dusty shelves, wondering what the heck all those weird ingredients were for. Was it for making potions? But no, Regina was no witch. So then what? Trophies? Or maybe Regina was just a collector and had wanted to catalog some of the weirder animals she had come across during her travels of the universe.

A red throbbing glow attracted Emma's eye and she walked down the narrow passage way to get towards it. The glow got brighter the closer she went, her footsteps muffled on the dusty floor. Regina really needed to clean up here.

And now there was a sound- the only other sound beside Emma's own breathing and the soft of her footsteps. A sort of thumping sound. Was someone else here? Emma swallowed thickly and laid a hand on the wooden closed door. Red light was practically trying to burst out of the door from under the crack. With a creak, the handle moved and Emma entered, jaw dropping open. It was a small room, perhaps the length of Emma's body across, but it went up high, the ceiling never showing. And on the walls, ascending to uncountable heights, were rows and rows of jars. Jars filled with beating glowing hearts.

Emma went up and touched one of the jars, staring at the beating organ in interest. She wondered what the story behind this was. Why was there a room full of hearts here? What did Regina need them for? Or had these hearts already been here when Regina moved in? And whose hearts were they? Some didn't look to come from humans.

Emma would definitely have to ask her girlfriend why she had a whole heart collection and what she was doing with it. Then shrugging, as if she had discovered her loved one had a stamp collection and not a bunch of morbid hearts, Emma turned out of the room and continued on to fume about how her girlfriend had unjustly locked her up here.

* * *

Regina was an acrobat, twirling and ducking and weaving in mid air and on the ground and over it, all in an effort to avoid Mary's magical arrows. The angel was firing volley after volley, five arrows each round straight at Regina who either avoided them or cut them down with her sword. Each time she cut them down, her arms vibrated with dispersing the power of them. Mary was a dead shot with the bow, too bad that Regina was better at moving out of the way. No amount of skill would help if the target moved. But she had to keep moving, bringing a shield while offering extra protection would weigh her down, slowing her.

David wasn't too involved with the fight yet. He would swing his massive ax down and splinter the earth in a direct line towards Regina who would dodge the attacks as well.

Everything was occurring so quickly that it would need to be slowed down to make sense. It was all Regina could do to stay on her toes. If she stumbled it would be all over. "Listen Mary, why don't we call it a day?" Regina suggested, lobbing a charged ball of electricity at the woman with her free hand. "I have things to do, you have things to do...we're both busy women. Let's not waste time." Regina was internally panicking because she was facing the Charming's at absolutely the worst time, not to mention Cora was most definitely around and Regina needed to leave before she came looking for her and for Emma's soul.

"I'm not leaving you, demon."

"How cute," Regina smirked, bending backwards in half to avoid a bolt of blue magic from David's hands. She straightened back up, "but I'm not interested. I already have someone. And I'm sure David wouldn't appreciate you leaving him for little ol' me."

Mary let out a grunt of anger, that smile still on her face. Could angels never portray any other emotion other than smiling? It made them look deranged, especially when choler colored their eyes. "We've done this dance for so long. I come after you, you run away. You come after me, I get away. But no longer. You stole something from me this time that cannot be replaced. That cannot be forgiven. I have always given you the benefit of the doubt. I know why you turned evil. So I held out, thinking you would never sink to such depths. But then you took her from me!" Mary screamed out, a wave of pure energy snatching Regina off of her feet this time and down to the ground.

Regina rolled to the side, avoiding the pillar of light David summoned from the heavens to squash her if she had stayed there a second longer. She rose to her feet, sword already blocking arrows sent her way. Looked like there would be no escaping Mary and David this time. They were dead set on destroying her. And that sent a shiver of fear through her. She knew they would want to destroy her, but now was really not the opportune time. Couldn't they wait until Regina had gotten Emma to true safety?

"You took our pride and joy away!" David added, his baritone voice marred by choler. "Why, Regina, why?!"

"Oh shut up, the both of you!" she snarled out, filled with rage, it overcoming her anxieties. "You think you know and understand me just because you know about my past?"

"I already apologized to you about my father Leopold, and for my own actions. I should have never turned a blind eye. I should have helped. I should have known," Mary's voice softened on that. Regina's words only hardened at the painful reminder of her human days.

Back in the day, Leopold had had a daughter named Mary Margaret from a previous marriage. Regina had become her new step mother when she had married the man, and she had wanted to be a good mother to her, but Mary had betrayed her. Just when Regina thought she could trust the girl, spill her secrets to her about how much she hated her marriage and planned to run away, she had been back stabbed. Mary told Leopold the truth and Regina was punished soundly for it. Mary knew how abusive Leopold was, and yet she let it happen, had even been the catalyst for it happening.

And Regina would never forgive her for that. Mary had worn the disguise of being caring, but really, she didn't care. She hadn't cared of the consequences that awaited Regina. So when Regina had finally been reborn as a demon she had come back to kill Mary, when lo and behold it turned out the girl had been claimed by the angels and made into a solider of their army. It had been a point of sore contention that Mary had been rewarded for causing harm to Regina by her bratty behavior and Regina hadn't for all her suffering by Leopold's hands.

Life was really fucked up.

So Regina decided to fuck it up as well.

"But you didn't, because you were a coward and afraid. You let hatred and pain happen in the world and for that, you got the reward for being an angel. I never wanted to be evil, but I had to become it, because the good didn't want me. Didn't have a way of helping me." Regina shook her head sadly. "No one grows up wanting to be a bad person." Dark storms clouds had gathered over head and with a rumble, hundreds of lightening bolts struck down. Mary and David jumped around the battlefield like jumping beans, yet for all their efforts they got struck multiple times, screaming in agony as they dropped to their feet. Regina's assault left the ground around them blackened and scorched and them smelling of smoke and ozone.

"It's fitting really, because all you angels do is ignore the pain of this world. Pretend everything is okay and that it will work itself out while everyone around you suffers! If you had been better parents, if you had paid more attention, you would see your treasure suffering! So don't come at me, telling me I've ruined it all. I make her happy where you don't!"

"Where is she?" David demanded, licking his bone dry lips, eyes dazed and voice hoarse. "Where IS SHE?!"

A smirk tugged up Regina's lips. "Somewhere where you can't hurt her."  _Somewhere where she is mine only._

Summoning the magic of her Vault, one of the rows of hearts in that special room lit up particularly brightly before it disappeared. Out in the human world, seven men stood, short and with medieval clothing. They were the dwarves from Snow White's Tale. Regina had stolen their hearts, in fact, all the hearts of the people in the Enchanted Forest, for they made the best soldiers. They couldn't die. It was a good thing Regina had done this right before she'd left with Emma back to the human world.

"Round two?" Regina asked, head held high and arms spread out as her men charged at Mary and David, who had just stumbled to their feet.

* * *

 _This place is a bigass maze,_  Emma thought to herself as she continued walking through Regina's Vault. Why was it so needlessly big? What could Regina be using all this space for?

Emma had come across yet another room, this one cleaner and clearly of more use. Swords, axes, ornate pots, mirrors and other common objects littered the space, some on desks and some not. They were all labeled and cataloged by name and date and location. What were they here for? Emma let her fingers trail over one of the mirrors when she heard a pst noise. In the quiet of the Vault it sounded enormously loud. She whipped her head around, lifting her lit hand to illuminate the skulls of some monster heads sitting on crates. Had she misheard that?

There was another pst noise, this time coming from one of the shelves where a small jewelry box was placed. It was made of balsam wood and depicted scenes of a hunt happening in art reminiscent of the Byzantine Era. "Hello?" she called out, approaching it tentatively.

"Come closer," the box said. It's voice was young, like a child. But a human couldn't fit into that box could it? Was it some sort of small animal in there?

Emma was on the defensive immediately. "Why should I?"

"You're trying to get out of here, aren't you?"

"...how do you know that?"

"Because I've been trying to get out as well. Will you help me?"

Emma hesitated. "How do I know you haven't been put here for good reason?" She vaguely recalled Regina telling her to not touch stuff in here. But Emma also recalled telling Regina not to put  _her_ here and she had so...

"It was an accident! I was meddling in Regina's things and she trapped me here for being nosy. But I've learned my lesson. Please let me go! I've been here for decades!" The voice sounded desperate, pleading.

Emma didn't know about that...if this thing was trapped here than maybe it was for a good reason? Still, she picked the box up. "Do you know a way out?" Her want to leave outweighed any dangers Regina had warned her of.

"I do," promised the box.

Emma wanted to help Regina and she couldn't do that while stuck here.

"Okay, I'll let you out but you have to help me get out of here."

"Gladly." The voice was joyous now.

"Okay," Emma sucked in a breath. "How do I free you?"

"Just open the lid."

Emma found a little metal catch and flicking it open was rewarded to a tremendous rush of air that sent her sliding across the room, a cold hand clamped around her throat. The box clattered to the ground and Emma used her free hand to try to pull back the hand on her neck. "Thanks for that Emma," a red haired woman sneered down at her, voice not matching that of the person in the box. Who the hell was she?

"How...do you...know who I am?" Emma wheezed, feet dangling off of the floor.

"Because you're the little human that Regina loves," the woman drawled, eyes glowing orange as she summoned her powers up.

Worry over her current predicament was overshadowed by this woman's declaration that Regina loved her. "She does?"

"Of course she does, the fool," this woman spat. "But it won't matter because you're no longer hers. Mother has decreed that you are to be my human now. So, enter a contract with me."

"No way!" Emma kicked hard at the woman's ribs only for her not even flinch.

"Why don't we get out of here first. I did promise to get you out." And hand tightening around Emma's neck, the red haired woman jerked back her fist and punched Emma hard enough to send them traveling through dimensions.

* * *

Regina had laughed and laughed as she watched David and Mary scratch their heads upon seeing the slain dwarfs rise to their feet again.

"Something the matter?" she jeered as Mary suffered a blow to the face that sent blood spraying from her lips.

"What did you do to these poor souls?" she hissed, rubbing the blood away while David sunk the tip of his ax into the head of Happy.

"Nothing that matters. They never remember dying."

"We need to free them, Mary," David spoke up. "These poor souls are suffering."

"I agree," Mary said, ducking under a bolt of black magic from Regina. She raced over to David, leaping over the reviving corpses of Sleepy and Grumpy, and grabbing his hand. "True Love can save this."

"Shit," Regina grumbled out. She had been hoping to avoid this. Had been hoping that she could have finished them off in the next minute or two, but they were annoyingly hard to hurt.

Eyes closed a wind swirled around them pulling white light towards them. Regina waved her hands frantically trying to erect a protective shield around herself. Then they exploded and white light washed over everything on the field, blowing away whole trucks and devastating buildings to the ground. Regina's shield's-the strongest she had- slowly eroded and she was flung off of her feet and into a pile of rubble.

Her body felt like she had been set on fire, skin smoking and raw. Her ears rang and white spots danced in front of her eyes. She got up to her feet with some difficulty and saw that the dwarfs were no longer under her command. They were all alive and glowing with heavenly light. And they turned murderous eyes onto Regina. Shit, stupid fucking true love, always ruining everything.

She grit her teeth and summoned up a very long broadsword from her Vault. As they rushed at her in a single file line, she cut right through them in one mighty swing. Well, no one said the dwarfs had been smart. They had only made it easy for her, granted they wouldn't revive. With a wave of her hand she teleported them back to the Enchanted Forest. That meant her fairy tale army was off the table. She only could rely on herself. She hefted her Broadsword and reengaged.

The next ten minutes could only best be described as a flurry of swinging swords, earth shattering blows, exploding arrows, and blasts of different colored magic as two fought against one. Regina was getting reckless but so were they. Both wanted an end to the fight already. Though Mary wanted something else first. "Where is she! Tell me where she is! You've been keeping her hidden from us for decades."

"I'll never tell you!" There were so many reasons not to.

"All we want is to have our daughter back. Please, Regina, tell us where she is so we can be reunited," David pleaded.

"I ate her," Regina stated, running a tongue against bared teeth. "Now what."

"I don't believe that," Mary hissed out, driving an arrow deep. It prodded out through the demon's back and she coughed out some blood at the sharp sting of it. In retaliation the mouths on her hair took a chunk out of David's cheek when he swooped in too closely. He clamped a hand to stem the flow of blood and left himself open for a elbow to the gut that sent him flying into one of the buildings that was still standing upright. "She was too important to your plans. To Cora's plans. That's right, we know all about her destiny and about what you demons plan to do."

"You don't know anything about anything. You always think you know best, but if you really loved your daughter you wouldn't have left her like that. Would have protected her better," Regina retorted as she brought her sword down on Mary's bow. The two began to go back and forth like that, cutting, parrying and dodging. Sparks flew from the impact.

"I didn't leave her. You tricked me. You stole her when I was weakened," Mary accused, matching Regina's sword blow for blow.

"It doesn't matter in the end. She's been lost to you, and Cora's plans will be fulfilled for once and for all. There will be nothing left for you. And no way for even your True Love magic to defeat us."

Mary didn't know that Regina had failed in securing the biggest and most vital step of Cora's plan for destroying the world along with all in it, including the angels.

"You still have time to do good. You can still stop Cora."

"You really expect to turn me against my own kind?" Regina laughed. How absurd was this woman? Maybe the innate good nature of angels made them so daft as to believe everyone could get a second chance no matter their sins. Regina didn't want a second chance. "The plan is done. It's too late to do anything."

"It's never too late, Regina," Mary said, eyes soft.

"Oh it was too late for me, when your mouth blabbered all my secrets to Leopold. It was too late for me to be helped by the good," Regina said bitterly, enjoying the flash of guilt across Mary's face. The one good thing about the angel's immortality was that at least she would feel guilty for ages upon ages to come.

"You can still change. In fact, you've already changed."

"What are you talking about?" Regina asked in dread, sweat gathering on her temple.

"An Angel can always tell when affections are present, when the heart changes. You're in love, Regina," Mary said with the sappiest grin possible.

This declaration froze Regina solid allowing Mary to slam her bow right into Regina's face and break her nose. Regina didn't register the pain, only took three steps back to steady herself. "No...you're...you're wrong," Regina's voice came out weak, afraid. It was one thing for Zelena, a demon, to say Regina was in love. But for an Angel to say it, especially an Angel of True Love?

That...that...what the fuck was happening? Was it true then? Regina was really in love with Emma? Her heart clenched in her chest and she grabbed at it as the blood poured from her re-healing nose. "I...I..."

"Regina, you do have good in you. After all these years, you can finally fight your dark side. So, help me. Help me retrieve my daughter. Help me save the world from your mother."

A dry crazed laugh left Regina's lips. "You think that just because I'm in love I'll throw away who I am?"

"Yes," Mary said certainly. "Love makes you do crazy things."

Regina grit her teeth. No, no,  _no_! Everything in her life was falling apart. She couldn't be in love with Emma. Yet, as she thought of Emma's warm smile her heart swelled, her stomach was filled with butterflies and she could only think of the moments they had spent together. She could see herself falling in love, and understood on some level that it had happened even as she tried to deny it. Because love? That ruined the plan. That would end up killing them both. Regina was so screwed. None of that was ever supposed to happen but it had and now, now what? How could she face mother like this? Maybe the only option was to save the world, because if not mother would not rest till every last cell of Regina's body had been scattered from hell to high heaven and everything in between.

No, what was she thinking? She was a demon, she didn't let fear rule her, she ruled fear!

"Shut your filthy mouth!" Regina screamed out and summoning a mighty attack, she sent a bolt of pure energy at Mary who blocked it with her own magics. Screaming in frustration at her own self for falling in love, she kept pouring out more and more of her energies until at last she was drained. She dropped to her knees, panting heavily. Mary lowered her arms from the X position they had been in, panting hard too but not having moved an inch during the attack.

"You've gotten weaker," Mary noted observationally as David came up to her side, dusting himself from his sojourn in the building.

"I have not," Regina declared but inside she worried that she had. An attack like that should have knocked Mary off of her feet at the least. But it hadn't.

What was going on? Regina was too confused. She just wanted to grab Emma and leave this place.

At that moment, Zelena smashed herself and Emma through reality and right back to the human world in between the two opposing forces. David and Mary startled and so did Regina, all stopping their motions. Emma let out a gasped breath as she slammed harshly into the ground, hands clawing at the demon's hold. Zelena looked up at them all, recognizing who they were right away.

"Well, this is sure going to be an awkward family reunion," Zelena cackled.


	16. Part Two- A Family Reunion

* * *

_I don't know what to say_

_I won't fight_

_Hell no_

_\- Don't Know what to Say, Unlike Pluto_

* * *

"So...should I go first?" Zelena asked playfully as she wretched Emma up painfully by the throat. Rivulets of blood were pouring down the blonde's shirt from where Zelena's nails dug in greedily and Emma couldn't even use her magic to free herself. Some way or another Zelena was blocking it. "Since we're all standing around gobsmacked." She hefted up Emma even higher and Regina and The Charming's watched with wide eyes at this, unsure of what to do next. One wrong move and it could be over for Emma, Zelena's sharp pinky nail right over her jugular. "My name is Zelena Greene and I am Regina Mills' half sister and partial heir to the throne of Cora Mills. Alright, your turn." She indicated for Regina to go with a nod of her head. Regina wasn't biting.

"Zelena, let her go," she growled out so low it was more felt than heard. Now there was an additional nuisance to this battle. Regina had thought bottling up her half sister would have been a good idea. How had she gotten out? Had Emma accidentally freed her somehow?

"I guess you don't want to introduce yourself. I'll do it for you. That's Regina Mills, otherwise known as the Evil Queen, and Emma's lover."

"Put her down," Mary spoke this time, ignoring the truth in the other demon's words. "No humans need to be harmed in the strife between us."

"I'm not going to hurt her. I need her. She's vital to the plan."

Mary and David exchanged puzzled looks with one another.

"Really?" Zelena scoffed. "You don't recognize her? Well, I suppose not, given you haven't seen her in years. I'll give you a hand in that." Zelena flung Emma high into the air, a scream exiting the woman's mouth. Regina teleported to grab her, moving faster than David who had also done the same. She set the blonde down, grabbing Emma by the shoulders in fret. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you in other ways?"

Emma shook her head, rubbing her throat to heal it. "I'm fine. I'd be more worried for her. That bitch is going to pay." Emma never took kindly to people trying to hurt her considering her foster home background full of abuse. White magic gathered under her skin, expanding outwards in a bolt that was meant to fry Zelena dead if she hadn't moved. "Is she really your sister? How come you didn't tell me you had one."

Regina let out a huff. "Now really isn't the time to be talking about such things. And what happened to not touching anything in the Vault."

"How was I supposed to know you'd have a deranged half sister there!"

"I told you not to touch anything. The things there are dangerous and meant to be used as weapons!"

"And I told you not to put me there!" Emma shot back. "If you hadn't put me there, this wouldn't have happened." For good measure she stuck out her tongue at Regina before redoubling her efforts on zapping the other demon who was almost tap dancing around Emma's efforts because her ploy to reveal Emma's powers had worked.

Regina was tempted to help; she didn't want Emma to get hurt by Zelena. But she also wanted to respect Emma's wishes to be independent and destroy her half sister. Still, maybe she could use Zelena as a distraction to get rid of the Charming's? But when she turned to look at them, her heart skipped a beat. Some sort of realization was dawning on their faces.

Shit, Emma's magic! That was a dead giveaway.

David and Mary watched the attack with wide eyes. "Is that...humans can't use magic..."

"No, it can't be..." David breathed. "That magic...only one person can use that type of magic."

"Come now, Charming's, I know Angels don't have much in the way of brains, but do try hard to think. Make those synapse connections!" Zelena sang as she avoided another of Emma's blasts.

"Now you run?" Emma cried out, getting frustrated. "I'll get you back for that! For trying to hurt me!"

"It's nothing personal dear, just Regina failed in her quest to take your soul and I've been ordered to finish the job, so won't you enter a contract with me, pretty please?" She skipped around, ducking past more magical blows.

"Fat chance of that," Emma shot back, using her magic to levitate some heavy rocks next to her. Zelena let them break over her head, shrugging them off like she'd been rained on and not stoned.

"Emma, stop this. Sit out the fight. I'll fight Zelena for you," Regina cried out but it was too late. Things had escalated too quickly. She had been too reckless in her actions. Emma only shot Regina a confused look as to why the woman was telling her to stop now.

"I tried asking nicely. Now I will have to use real force, and you don't want me to do that," Zelena growled out. She changed into her second form but before she could do anything about it, was immediately pelted with magic from the angels. "Hey, what is this?" she grunted out, hands clutching the blue cage of buzzing energy they had trapped her in. She tried using some of her powers but they failed, keeping her there for now.

"Something to keep you out of our hair temporarily before we destroy you," David said, hand outstretched to maintain the cage, and he and Mary rounded onto Emma, smiling gently. In their eyes was knowing and Regina swallowed harshly.

"Get out of my way. I'm going to give it good to Zelena for hurting me." She didn't know what these Angels were up to, but they didn't seem to want to hurt her. Emma didn't have those same qualms. She still wanted revenge for how they had ignored her when she was younger and defenseless. But first, Zelena. Because for some reason that demon irked her more than any other had.

"Emma-"

"We're leaving," Regina shot out in hurry and worry. She grabbed at Emma's elbow only for the blonde to wretch it free.

"Don't you want to finish the fight?" Why was Regina behaving so oddly. Her features were twisted with unrecognizable panic.

Regina always crushed her opponents. Why was she running from the angels? And from Zelena?

"We have to go. You're in danger." Regina's voice came in impatient puffs. Her fingers scrabbled back towards Emma but the blonde shook them off.

"Not anymore," and another cage sprung up from under Regina, momentarily trapping her there.

"You okay, David?" Mary asked in concern of her lover. He was the one casting the cages and it took a lot out of him to maintain them. He nodded his head, face white and sweaty.

Shitshitshit! This wasn't going to go well. Regina had dropped her guard and allowed those cursed angels to trap her. There was no way she could flee with Emma now. "Emma don't listen to them-!" she warned, almost pleading.

"Emma, listen to us," Mary said calmly and Emma's head snapped from where she had been watching the imprisoned demon. She approached Emma and cupped her cheeks. Emma slapped her hands away. "Let Regina go. And don't touch me." Her hands lit with white fire.

The angels swept aside Emma's demand for Regina. All they could focus on was her right now.

"How can I not, when you are our daughter."

Those words stalled the breath in Emma's lungs, froze the blood in her veins, made her heart gallop like a frightened horse. Someone...someone was claiming to be her mother. Who would do that willingly? No one ever had. Why would Mary say that?

"Emma don't listen to them." Regina thrashed against the cage while Zelena howled in laughter. The brunette grasped the bars in her hands even as they burned at her skin. She wanted to rip them apart, wanted to rip the angels apart. Emma couldn't know this. Shouldn't know it. It would ruin everything. It  _was_  ruining everything Regina had built over the years.

"Your...daughter?" Emma choked out, her shock giving way to sudden amusement. "Are you serious? I don't have parents. I'm an orphan." She let out a chuckle, shaking her head. She had once longed for parents, but she didn't need them. It was too late for a family anyways.

Mary shook her head while David rubbed her shoulder in marital support. "You were never an orphan. You were our child and still are and we've waited so long to find you again. We've missed you so." Mary again tried to reach for Emma but the girl smacked her hands away; Mary barely paid attention to that. "And now we've been reunited."

"I can't be the daughter of angels...that's not...I'm just human!" Emma was deep in disbelief. Her amusement faded away when she saw the serious and loving look in the angels eyes. Why were they looking at her like that? She was human!

"A human doesn't have magic powers like you do. Very special magic powers. Along with your truth seeking abilities and rapid healing factor," David pointed out. How did he know that? How did he know her powers?

"I only have magic..." Emma choked on that because there really was no other explanation for her powers. They were her's, innately so. "I don't have wings!" That was her last hope for denying that she was otherworldly. How could she be something more than human? All her life she had lived as Emma Swan, the girl who had made a demonic contract and then gotten out of it soul intact. Regina couldn't make a contract with an angel, could she?

"You haven't been able to discover them because you have been living life as a human. But you have wings. Come back to us, and let us be a family once more. We can protect you. We can be whole again." Mary's voice was enticing but Emma was filled with repressed emotions.

"Fuck that, and fuck you! You never tried looking for me. You abandoned me. Left me in the human world to be abused. So don't tell me you miss me, or want me back." Emma was fuming. Who were these angels to suddenly pronounce they were her family. "You must be mistaken. I'm not your daughter. Stop being delusional."

"We didn't give you up. We loved you too much for that. You were stolen from us by evil forces." Mary clasped her own hands, fidgeting with them. "And we can now see and know that you are truly our daughter. Only she can wield the magic that you do."

"That sounds like a crock of bullshit." Emma was spiting mad. She wanted to leave this place right now. "Regina, come on let's leave."

But the demon couldn't. Not until the magic on these cages wore off. She had already tried blasting it with various magics and it wouldn't be breaking just yet.

"She's the one who stole you from us."

Emma was silent at David's words. Had she heard that right? The breath from her very lungs felt like it had been stolen. How could...but no, Emma had lived in an orphanage...and then foster homes. And Regina had dropped by later to make a deal with her. "She didn't. I lived in foster homes." Emma's words were leaden, forged from steel and fire. What the fuck was wrong with these angels? Why were they hellbent on proclaiming her their daughter.

Mary shook her head. "I'm not certain of the details but I do know she took you from us and then probably left you in the human world before she could make a reappearance and force you into a contract with her. Demons can't make contracts with angels, but an angel who is living as a human? That's quite an ingenuous and nifty loophole."

"That's bullshit. Bullshit!" Emma screamed out. Blood was rushing in her ears and her palms were sweaty. She felt short of breath. She just wanted to go back to the Enchanted Forest, go back to indulging in lazy days in Regina's arms.

"Why don't you ask her," Zelena snidely added from her cage.

"Keep out of our business, Zelena," Regina roared out, willing this fucking cage to break. Panic was clouding her vision. She had to escape, she needed to get Emma away from here before they poisoned her mind. Grunting she tried to pry the bars apart using every last ounce of demonic magic in her, but to no avail. They only groaned and moved slightly. What the fuck were they forged with?

"Yes, ask Regina. She should tell you," David added, nodding his head in agreement.

Emma licked her lips, deliberating as her heart raced in her chest. Should she ask the demon? Regina did know a lot of things...and Emma could always count on her for anything. Regina would tell her the things she needed to hear.

"Regina..." she looked over at the woman who was fighting the cage in vain; cracks were already spreading on the bars marking achingly slow progress. She only needed a moment more and she'd be free.

"You really  _are_  going to ask me? Don't you trust me?" she panted as sweat rolled off her brows.

"I just need to know."

"Emma..." Regina needed to delay the blonde woman.

"I need to know," Emma repeated firmly.

Regina sighed, banged her head against the bars and took a break from trying to pry her way free. She was gathering something inside her, resolve and mustered honesty, before she opened her mouth, forcing herself to believe every word. "The angels are lying. They're not your family and I didn't steal you."

Emma's gut twisted and tears sprung to her eyes, hand crawling up to her mouth. All her hopes that the angels were being false crashed and burned. She felt sick, feverish, her stomach coiling tight. "You're lying to me." Her jaw wobbled. Why was Regina lying to her?

Regina shook her head frantically, as if that could dissuade Emma. "I'm not...I'm..."

"Why are you lying to me!" tore out of Emma's throat as she sniffled. Her hands clenched open and closed, trying to reign in her emotions and failing.

Regina bit her lip, couldn't meet Emma's eyes. "I'm not lying-"

"Stop lying to me! I know you are!" she could sense how wrong the words were to the very core of her being. Her convictions were being broken. Her whole worlds.

Oh god, was everything the angels said true then?

She felt like the ground had dropped from underneath her feet and she was free falling.

"Nice going sis," Zelena sneered, relishing in all this.

"Why did...why did you take me from my family?" Emma needed to know. She squeezed tears back.

"It was part of the plan," David filled in. "Part of your destiny."

"My destiny was to be orphaned?" Emma whirled on him, releasing her fury on him too.

"No, it wasn't." Mary shook her head. "You don't know the truth behind you. You aren't just the daughter of two angels, but something more. You are the savior this world needs."

"I don't...I don't understand," Emma raked her heads through her hair. Her head was spinning. What was happening? Why to her? Daughter of angels? The fuck!

That explained her magic...but what the hell! Wasn't she human?

She felt like destroying something. Like curling up into a tiny ball. She just wanted this day to end. Wanted to crawl into Regina's arms and sleep it off...but no, Regina was lying to her. Regina was the one who had caused her to suffer at foster homes. Her head hurt.

"Maybe it's a bit much to take in," David murmured sympathetically. He yearned to reach out to his daughter. To hold her at long last. How she had grown...when he last saw her she was but a mere babe swaddled in blankets. And now here she was, so beautiful and tall, with strong features and angelic curls. How had he not noticed it was her before?

But he held himself back because he could see the conflict swirling inside her. His touch would only serve to infuriate her more.

"I don't...why would you orphan me, Regina? Why would you do that to me? And I want the truth. I want to hear all you have to say. And I'll know when you're lying so don't even try." Emma turned on the cage, shoulders tensed up, breath coming hard. She could already feel her heart breaking in her chest and she knew whatever next she heard would only break it more. But she had to know. She was tired of lies and deceit.

Regina lifted her head, offered a pained smile. Her voice was soft. "I had to do it. It was my orders." And Emma knew that Regina was finally telling the truth. The twinge in her gut this time didn't come from her lie detector but from something else.

"So your orders dictated to steal me as a baby and leave me abandoned? To let me have a fucking shitty life with people who couldn't give a fig about me?" Emma pounded her chest. "They broke my bones, and punched and kicked me, and verbally abused me, and that was okay? What the FUCK REGINA!"

Regina grit her teeth at this. She expected this, deserved this; it didn't make it feel any better knowing she did. "I saved you, didn't I?"

"After you put me in such a position!" Emma took in a deep shuddering breath, feeling the chunks of her heart rattling in her chest. "You still haven't told me the full truth about why you left me."

Regina squared her jaw. "I don't want to talk about this. It's making you upset and I don't want you to be any more upset than you already are."

"So you were never going to tell me? You were going to keep me in the dark and let this fester? Let me foolishly and blindly trust you? (remain in love with you?!)" Emma's chest was now heaving. "How could you lie to me! You made my hate myself, made me think I was worthless. You let me suffer!"

Each word of Emma's was like a knife through the heart and Regina could feel the girl slipping away from her, could feel the dark walls of despair tunneling in on her. No she hadn't wanted this to happen. She hadn't wanted Emma to find out like this.

"Trusting a demon?" Mary sputtered. "Emma, you trusted a demon?" She whipped her head back and forth between them. It was common knowledge one couldn't trust those dirt crawlers. Just what had Regina done to her daughter over the years? What lies had she fed her? She swore if Regina so much as touched a single hair on Emma's head in hurt, or inappropriately, she was going to skin her alive! No forgiveness would be given to Regina now. Perhaps her past sins could be overlooked, overshadowed by the depth of Mary's guilt towards her earlier and cowardly actions during her human youth. But if the demon had done something to Emma, anything, than it would be all over. No forgiveness there.

"Oh Lord," David cursed. "She can't be." David too felt the flare of protectiveness over his daughter.

"So what that I trusted her. She was the only person I could count on for so long beside myself. And even then she still betrayed me. I can't trust anyone! Everything is a lie." Emma felt like her world was collapsing on her and instead of it stopping, it just kept crumbling and crumbling until she had nothing left. Mary came behind her and wrapped her arms around her. This time the blonde let her because she needed something to hold onto.

Emma was shaking. She felt like her body was breaking, like her heart had been ripped out of her chest, everything stripped raw under the crushing burden of this truth revealed at last. "She betrayed me...she betrayed me. They all do. They always do." Why was she always betrayed? What did she do to deserve this? What God had she pissed off?

"It's going to be all okay. Demons always do this. But you can trust us, your mother and father. We will love you always." Mary meant that to be soothing but it only riled Emma up more.

"You weren't there!" She tore herself from her newly found mother's grip. "You let me suffer! Where were you when I needed you so long ago?"

"We looked for you. We never stopped. But Regina had hidden your energy signature from us, and the world is a vast place. There was no telling what universe you were in. But then when you used your powers against Zelena, I knew. Your magic is special. No one has anything quite like it."

That appeased Emma slightly, seeing the pain in her mother's eyes. "You could have tried harder." She said this petulantly, like a little child.

"Maybe there was more we could do, but we weren't the only ones looking for you. We had whole armies of angels at our deploy. You're not only important to us, but to heaven too. So please, come back home with us," David begged, eyes earnest.

Emma wanted to believe in their sugar coated words but how could she trust anyone. Regina had betrayed her, kept something so important secret from her. "And why should I think that you don't have a higher motive? How do I know this isn't some giant ploy? Some more lies that you're feeding me, exploiting the fact that I'm orphaned and that my soul is powerful."

Regina sensed a way she could manipulate Emma back to her side there. "That's right Emma. Don't trust them. They're up to no good-"

"You don't get to speak to me like that, you liar!" Emma spat at her, cutting Regina off coldly. "And you," she pointed at the angels, "are trying to use me too."

"Of course we are," Mary said bluntly, stunning Emma with her honesty. "You're the savior and you're here to save us. We need your help. I'm not going to lie to you, surely you can sense the truth in my words?"

And Emma could. No lying words had come from the angel's mouths, even when they said how much they loved her. "Why...why do you need me?" some of the rage had left her- she was still mad but it was more of a boiling anger, ready to burst forth if something set her off, but for now it was simmering on low heat under her skin.

"You have to stop the apocalypse."

"You can't be serious," Emma deadpanned. Yet here it was, another shit thing on top of all the other shit things in Emma's life.

"I'm afraid we are," David wiped some sweat from his brow. These cages were really draining him. "That's your role as savior. To save the world no matter how many times it takes."

Emma felt faint. She blindly sat down on a rock, head in her hands. She was untethered, floating freely in the ocean and not knowing which direction she was going in. This was too much...she wasn't ready for such a responsibility. All she had wanted was to fuck around and live a life by her rules, not be accountable for saving the world. What the fuck was she supposed to do? Her first instinct was to tell Regina but that option was crossed off. Regina had kept secrets from her, had orphaned her for fucks sake. Her life could have been so much better. So much different.

"Are you okay?" Mary asked, concerned. She wanted to wipe her daughter's furrowed forehead smooth, wanted to thread her fingers through golden locks and tell her everything would be just fine.

"I just need a moment to absorb this all...or ten...or a hundred." Emma rubbed her temples; tried to find solid grounding. Her feet couldn't touch the bottom.

"Emma, please can I just explain myself-"

"What is there to explain Regina," Emma said tiredly. "You ruined my life."

Regina couldn't give up. She couldn't. She needed Emma to understand that things were different now between them.

"I had to do it- Cora ordered me to. And I didn't know you at the time, so to me it was just another job. She wanted you to live life as a human so you would never discover your powers, and so I could make a contract with you so you could give your soul over to me. But as time went by, I came to care deeply for you." Regina wouldn't admit it was love. It couldn't be love. She gripped the bars, desperate to change Emma's heart. "I don't want to hurt you. And I had long given up on trying to procure your soul. I just wanted to keep you safe and by my side." Regina was loathe to lay her emotions out like this, but she had to keep Emma close to her. Had to get out of this cage and leave this wretched world.

"Aww, is dear older sister confessing her love?" Zelena said gleefully.

On the love word, Emma felt her eyes tear up once more. Felt the organ in her chest clench strongly. Zelena had said Regina loved her, yet was that true? Or another lie? If you loved someone you didn't betray them. You didn't put them through such shit.

"Shut up, Zelena," Regina screeched at her, voice softening when talking to Emma once more. "You have to believe me when I say I care for you."

Emma knew Regina wasn't lying about that. "But why was it so necessary to do all that? Did you know about my true identity the whole time? Did you hide it from me?"

Regina swallowed harshly before admitting, "I did. But I had to keep your true identity hidden-"

"So my parent's couldn't find me?"

"No! I mean, yes, but for other reasons too. You could hurt yourself, or draw other demons to you. I had to keep you safe. It was best if you thought you were human. But that didn't work."

"Clearly not," Emma snorted in disgust, her emotions so turmoiled when it came to Regina. What did she even think of the demon now? Did she hate her? Love her? All she knew was that she was hurting real bad. "What, were you going to hand deliver me to Cora. Were you trying to get my soul so that I could be killed off, stopped from saving the world?"

Regina shook her head even though Emma's back was to her. "No...it was more than that. You were destined for greatness, for being superbly powerful. Cora wanted your soul so she could use your powers for her own gains. She wanted to use you to help destroy the world."

"And you didn't think to tell me this?" Emma looked down at her hands, hands that had held Regina's for so long, had held on with utter and blinding trust.

"I couldn't tell you. My job was to seduce you to our side."

"So you never cared for me, would have let me die," Emma's voice broke at this, her strong facade slowly falling to pieces.

"That's not true! I...I gained feelings for you, like never before," Regina would be damned before she spoke the L word. But without saying it, there was no way to convey the sentiment properly, believably. "And I stopped wanting to do all that. I just wanted to spend time with you. Just wanted to keep you away from Cora and her machinations."

"Then why bring me to the human world?"

"I didn't know...I truly didn't know." Regina's voice softened, weakened. She was desperate not to lose Emma. She couldn't lose the only thing in her life that had given her meaning these past two decades.

"I knew it all along!" Cackled Zelena. "I knew that you were forfeiting mother's plans. Good thing she sent me here to amend things." She had been bidding her time, waiting to hear this. And then her cage exploded in orange smoke sending David reeling to his ass. In a second she was by Emma's side, snatching her by the throat and dragging her off into the sky.

"Emma!" the demon and angels screamed out.

"Stay here, watch over Regina. We still needed her captured," Mary instructed. "I'm going to go after them." From her back erupted two giant pure white wings scattering feathers upon their reveal. With a strong flap from them she launched into the air, dust and feathers blowing around her and into David's face.

"No, you need to let me go! Only I can protect Emma!" Regina screamed, throwing herself harder at the cage. "Let me go!" She bounced off the bars each time but she didn't stop, yelling and ordering David to free her. David only frowned at her and redoubled his concentration on the cage, making it sound proof as well.

Her pleas fell on deaf ears.


	17. Part Two-Bordering Heaven and Hell

* * *

_Truth hurts and I'm in pain/ Truth hurts like a bed of nails-_

_Truth Hurts, Bullet for My Valentine_

* * *

Emma was soaring fast through the air, almost fast enough to make it hard to breath, if the hand on her throat wasn't already doing that for her. Her hands were clenched around the green wrist attached to it, wanting to rip the hand off but at the same time holding it tightly like a lifeline, because it was the only thing keeping her from falling to her death right now as Zelena zipped through the purplish skies on her broom, cackling in merry evil glee. Emma's legs kicked about in the air amusingly and the wind whipped her hair into her eyes, but through the thick curtain of it she could make out how high the ground was from her, and while it wasn't as high as it had been when Ursula had lifted her up with her slimy tentacle, it was the second highest she had ever been in her life. So she could say with experience, she preferred her feet on the ground.

"Having fun?" Zelena inquired to her kidnapped passenger, grinning sadistically. "Because I don't think mommy dearest is."

And that was another fucked up thing about today- the angel behind them was none other than Emma's real mother, because apparently, Emma was some sort of fucking angel. And not just any old regular angel- a super angel. A Savior, meant to save the world from this Apocalypse. Really, today was just too much. Her mind still had trouble believing all this. It hadn't even had a regular moment to think it all through, to absorb it, because revelation after revelation had struck her, like the fact Regina had stolen her from her rightful family and tried to seduce her into getting her soul to Cora, who was going to use it to end the world, because Emma's soul was just that powerful. Emma had thought she and Regina had something. That Regina was the one person in the world Emma could trust after betrayals too grand for her heart to hold. But no, it had been a mistake to trust the demon, and Emma's mind threw back at her- of course why would a demon be trustworthy? When in the grand but short history of human kind, could a human trust a demon, especially one after their soul.

If Emma had been allotted some time, she would have been crying over this, turning herself into a small ball in some dark dank corner, and just letting it all out, too tired and heartbroken to deal with the world. But, she was currently coasting an easy 60 miles an hour in the fucking air with some demonic sister bitch holding her up, and her long lost mother behind her sending blasts of blue energy meant to maim and kill but that only succeeded in making Zelena swerve like a mad woman back and forth, so nope, no time for reflections.

Each sharp yank on Emma's throat had her neck aching and her gagging as she struggled to maintain a steady stream of air into her body.

"Let go of my daughter you bitch!" Mary called out, her giant angel wings flapping up a storm as she trailed Zelena like a target locked missile. They soared over the roaring armies of demons and angels below doing battle, flames, rivers of lava, and giant killer gusts of wind swirling over and around them.

"I happen to need your daughter. You lost your claim to her when Regina stole her away from you both," Zelena called back gleefully, leaning to the right to avoid a building. She was zigging and zagging around and it was honestly making Emma a bit nauseous. But no matter how she tried to summon her magic to work, it somehow couldn't. How was Zelena blocking it when no other demon could?

"You will not be using my daughter for your vile plans!" Mary snarled out and reinforced her method of throwing blue flaming balls one after the other.

"Is your mother always so overbearing and protective like this?" Zelena asked conversationally, looking down at Emma a glimmer before dipping down thirty meters so suddenly that Emma's stomach slammed up to her heart, while her heart fell down to her guts. The balls of blue energy missed her and Mary tucked in her wings to do an eagle dive after them. "Oh, right," Zelena continued, her googly eyes roving in laughter. "You wouldn't know!" They rose high on her cackle, now nearing what must be the crux of the battle. There was a huge convergence of supernatural beings there, so tight and on top of each other that from up here they melded into one. It was hard to tell who was the demon and who was the angel.

"I'm warning you, Zelena, let her go!" Mary warned from behind, still close on their tail but never close enough to grasp her daughter.

"Or what?" Zelena shrilled with amusement and deployed behind her a peppering of pumpkins with her magic. They were small, orange and perfectly uniform in shape and size. Mary recognized what they were- the dreaded demon's pumpkin spice bombs. She made to swerve to avoid them, but she was too close to successfully pull off that maneuver. One of them caught the tip of her left wing as they went off, exploding with the force of cannon blasts. Her raised arms shielded her from the edge of the blast force she had flown into, clothing shredding and flesh ripping apart to the bone as she was thrown off balance, swirling right into a nearby clock tower.

She burst through the other side, dismantling the working clock as its face was ejected outwards by her extrusion. One of the steel hands of the clock fell into her mangled grasp and spinning around in mid air, she let it go long, like a disc thrower in the Greek Olympics. "Need a hand to get at me?" the demon hummed. Zelena saw it speeding at her and timed her barrel roll perfectly. The hand skimmed over the underside of the broom, gone in time for Zelena's momentum to bring her right side up. Emma meanwhile gripped her eyes shut, tightened her hold on Zelena's wrist and prayed to whatever mighty power there was that she wouldn't be dropped.

"Careful there, angel. It seems like you might hurt Emma in your eagerness to get to me." Zelena smiled. "And if you don't then I will, because you're pissing me off!" her lips dipped down sharply on that. Mary was like an annoying gnat, following her every move.

"I would never hurt her, and you wouldn't either because you need her whole and alive for the next stage of your plan." Mary flapped her wings once more, finding her balance easily now that her wing was repairing itself. So was the rest of her body and she was able to give chase, now even more further back due to her detour in the building. She couldn't let the demon get her daughter to Cora. Pausing in midair so she could concentrate, she summoned up more of her powers. The clouds above them rumbled with might and shone brightly before out of them erupted a hail of blue beams of light.

Zelena gave a startled cry at this, her slick skills on the broom not even enough to evade such an all encompassing assault. One of the lights caught the end of her broom and set it alight with flames. Zelena had no choice but to land them both down though it was rough doing so. She banged into building corners, scrapping Emma against the hard structures, knocking into trees that left the blonde spitting out leaves, and than with a hand shaking with the exertion of guiding the broom, finally dumped them unceremoniously to the floor. She cursed the bloody angels, knowing she had no way of teleporting herself out because breaking free of David's cage had required her sacrificing the energies for one of her most vital abilities. She wouldn't be able to teleport again for who knows how long.

Emma was still in her hold, feet hanging over the ground as Mary gently alighted to the blood soaked park. Trees here had been swept aside by demon Goliaths, grass scorched by angel light, and the streams full of dead corpses, both demon, angel and man, along with other woodland creatures.

Mary's wings didn't go away and she pulled out her bow and arrow, notching one right at Zelena's heart. The green witch demon knew how deadly Mary was with that bow. She held Emma out as a shield. "You pull the string and she dies," she threatened, sweating under her witch hat. She was scared of Mary to be honest. She knew all too well about how dangerous this angel was because of her True Love magic, magic that could wreck any demon. Even Regina had been afraid to a certain degree and that woman was fearless.

Zelena had been hoping she could have outraced Mary, wouldn't have had to face her. No matter, Zelena had a bargaining chip. She would win, she would outsmart Mary and bring Emma to Cora and curry favor with her mother. She would be allowed to be under her mother's counsel. She would be the favorite Mills daughter. For far too long had Cora treated Zelena as second rate. Zelena had been too weak, had been an unwanted child. But Zelena knew she was strong. First off, she was a survivor. Thrown to the wilds of hell to die, she survived, being raised by some low level demons who wanted to use her to serve them. Short and small and weak they were, and they enslaved her and made her work for them, made her use her magic for their own devices. But by the age of six, she was the one enslaving them, making them do her bidding. She had them overrun other demon camps, gather the folks there. And then when she had more magic and power to her name, and had learned how to teleport, she had gone to another world. A land called Oz, and there she had turned her army of demons into flying monkeys, using them to conquer the land as her own.

And she had ruled it, on her own. She had done that all by herself and her mother had found her years later and been impressed how Zelena had built herself an empire. Cora had then given Zelena another chance, a chance for even more power and prestige. "Bring back my daughter and your half sister back to me, as well as the poor girl she carries around with her like a pet. Do this, and you will be fully welcomed into the family. And fully compensated." Her words and tone held a dark entice to it. "For I see such a woman as you requires not only one kingdom to her name, but more."

And Zelena had preened and gone to do her mother's bidding. She didn't want to fail her mother. Didn't want to be kicked out, to be considered weak again. She wanted power and Emma was her ticket to that.

Hot air swept around them as Mary stood ice still, bow and arrow in place, now pointing directly where Emma's heart was. Zelena's hold had loosened a bit on Emma's throat but not enough to give Emma her powers back. "Is this a hard decision to make? Lower your bow or else Emma gets it," Zelena said, itching for Mary to retreat already. "How do you think Emma feels, seeing her own mother pointing a weapon at her at what should be a joyful reunion?"

"You took the joy out of it by showing up," Mary said, eyes hard but lips always in that damned happy demeanor. An angel's smile could roughly ever be truly shaken or wiped off. "And don't worry Emma. I would never hurt you." And then she let the arrow go.

 _That's a big fucking lie,_ Emma thought as the projectile raced towards her. Everyone was always hurting her, even her mother who was supposed to love her unconditionally.

Emma inhaled a sharp breath, bracing for impact, hoping that Zelena would move them the fuck out of the way. But the demon was too slow. Too slow to face Mary's archery skills head on. So the arrow hit Emma, slid right into the cavity where her heart was, and slid all the way out through her back and lodged itself into the green demon's chest. Zelena made a gasped sound behind her and dropped Emma roughly. The blonde scrambled to her feet, sucking air in greedily and massaging her sore red rimmed throat. Zelena stumbled a couple feet back, holding the arrow protruding from her chest. "H-how?" she choked out, eyes wide in shock.

"True Love's arrow. It doesn't hurt those whom I love," Mary said softly, tucking her bow away and rushing to her daughter's side as Zelena crumpled to her knees, blood spreading around the wound. "Emma, are you okay?"

Emma nodded her head even if she quite wasn't. "I wanted to fight her too." She wanted to, because she'd literally been dragged around town by her neck and that was fucking painful. Her voice was all but a croak and Mary placed her hands over Emma's which were still on the neck and let calm healing blue light come forth. Within seconds Emma was pain free, neck as good as new. Too bad her heart couldn't be healed like that. It was currently in revolt, broken over the fact of who her parents were and of Regina's black acts.

"There will be many fights that await you yet," Mary said and her words were punctuated by an explosion two streets down that lifted several angels into the air before they crashed back down again. Here the smell of blood and carnage was so much stronger. Mary cupped Emma's cheeks in her own, stroking down them with her thumbs. "Let us get you home. To your real home."

Did that mean Heaven? The fabled place of glory and God and good?

"You think you can just leave me here like this? That you can get rid of me so easily? I have conquered demons, claimed lands, terrorized people!" Zelena growled out, stumbling to her feet, refusing to succumb to the True Love poison flowing through her body right now. "I'm not dead yet. I'll never die-"

Without turning around Mary waved her hand dismissively and a fat bolt of light from the skies above struck Zelena, surrounding her, swallowing her up with its powers. Her screams were lost as she disintegrated, not even so much as a wart left behind to remember her by. Emma was in shock at that. So Regina's words were true. Angels really did kill and without so much as batting an eye. Regina killed too, but for some reason it seemed more wholesome? Regina recognized at least who her opponent was, honored their inevitable sacrifice at her hands, and actually took the fight with a dose of consideration. Perhaps it only seemed more fitting for a demon to kill because that was the stereotype, that was who they were. Angels weren't supposed to kill. They were meant to love and to give second chances and to support. Were angels and demons not too far apart? Was Mary capable of using her magic to destroy whole towns like Regina had, was she able of conquering worlds?

Emma shook her head and freed herself from her mother's hold. There she went, thinking about Regina again. But she couldn't. It was like her mind was a broken record. She couldn't stop thinking about Regina even if the record was thrown out.

"Will you come back with me?" Mary questioned and Emma swallowed harshly. She didn't know what to do. To go to Heaven- that felt like some insurmountable step she had to take. An impossible step. She didn't know if she could do it. After living in the dark shadows and delicious sins of Regina's worlds and of her own twisted desires to seek harm on humans, would she be rejected? Wouldn't her heart be too black?

"Is-is it okay for me to go there?" she asked, voice shaking a bit. More explosions sounded to her right and beams of blue light crackled across the sky taking out some flying demons. The scent of fried lizard meat floated over to them.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Mary looked on at Emma with innocent eyes. "You're an angel. A savior."

"But...but surely you've known what I've done. I've hurt people, ordered their deaths! Angels don't do that!" Or did they, given Mary's aptitude at slaying demons.

"That wasn't you. That was Regina influencing you-"

"She didn't force me to do such things!" Emma burst out, because even if Regina was a liar and a traitor and unable to love, she had never forced Emma to do something she didn't want to. Strongly suggested and argued it yes, but not forced. "I did them because I was angry and upset at the world. I wanted people to hurt for the pain I had gone through."

"Oh Emma," Mary sighed out, pitying. "I'm so sorry you had to do that. I really am. But you are not corrupted, you are not dirty. You can never be evil."

"I can't?"

"No, never," Mary shook her head. "You are a product of True Love. You will always remain pure no matter what you do."

Emma's head whirled at that. "So no matter what I do, I get a free pass from it all?"

Mary nodded her head, hands clasped together in front of her. "Yes. You do. You are the only incorruptible angel. Which is why it is so laughable as to how the demons thought your soul could be corrupted to help them. To have you destroy the world. Inside, you could never do that."

This was so fucked up. So unfair. Emma could literally slaughter whole worlds, ruin countless lives and in the end, she'd still be considered a shining symbol of good. "But I could have destroyed the world. When Regina was under my contract, I could have ordered her to ruin the planet!" Emma shouted out because she wasn't good. She had never been good. She was evil, dirtied by her own actions and by the actions of Regina. Emma didn't think she could ever be a good person. She didn't care about others.

"But you didn't. The thought never crossed your mind," Mary said sweetly and so confidently in her child.

"And how would you know! You weren't there!" Emma circled back to this, because it was still a sore point.

It saddened Mary. "I would have been, had Regina not stolen you from me. All of this, could have been avoided. You could have had a happy life, surrounded by people you love, having everything you ever wanted." And Emma could see it. See herself sitting at the dinner table with her mother and father and possible siblings and all of them laughing as they passed around the dishes of food, and looked at each other with love.

How many times had she dreamed of that. Too many.

And by the time she had the power to will it so, her dreams had been marred by the ugly reality of her foster parents. She didn't believe in unconditional love, in parent love. In family love. "Don't you want that Emma? Don't you want to be with us again?" Mary said and it tugged at Emma's heart strings. She did want it, because now it was possible. She still had no clue as to what was going on, or what was going to happen to her, but there didn't seem to be another path for her in life. The ocean of all these vast possibilities was tugging at her, dragging her down deep below waves to her destiny. And she was either going to drown or be able to hold her breath and reach whatever was at the bottom. "And don't worry about being good enough," Mary added, when she saw Emma's conflicted look. "You will always be good enough for me, no matter what you do."

The gentle way of saying it, the brutal honesty in the words, finally broke Emma. Had she finally found the one place she wanted and wished for so long? A place of acceptance? She held back the tears swimming in her eyes and the choked sob coming up her throat. She was scared even through her joy because there was still so much she didn't know. She didn't know the true extent of her destiny and what to do with it. She didn't know anything about angel society. She didn't know Mary and David. She needed the support of Regina by her side but she couldn't trust her. Yet she had to know what the demon's fate would be. "And Regina-"

"Will be brought up with us."

Emma nodded her head then, consenting to her mother. Mary smiled warmly and grasped her daughter's hand. "Hold on tight." The ground around them shook before white light enveloped them and they were up, soaring into the sky on invisible sun rays.

Emma was finally ascending to heaven.

 _To home,_ she thought with a faint and tentative smile.

* * *

Emma didn't know what to expect upon arrival. Was Heaven a place made of white marble buildings? Was it just houses floating on clouds? She held her breath expectantly, closing her eyes as it got too bright to look. When the bright flash had finally faded away, paired with a suffusion of warmth all over her body, she opened her eyes and gasped, her breath billowing out around her.

Heaven was white, like she thought it would be, but only because everything here was in the stage of winter.

Snow piled on bare branches making them sag, frozen ponds glimmered brightly, and wooden cabins had icicles hanging from the roofs. It almost looked like the north pole given all the pine trees and pin striped ornamentation around the town. Angels were walking back and forth. Some carrying weapons, others wounded soldiers. "This is Heaven?" Emma's voice was filled with wonder.

"Part of it," Mary nodded her head, watching her daughter's face for the most minute of expressions.

"Why isn't it cold?" Emma could see the cold around her but she didn't feel it. It was so confusing to her senses.

Mary shrugged. "Just the way Heaven is."

Emma craned her neck around, trying to get as much of it in as she could. "It looks very Christmas-y," she commented.

"That's because this is Santa's Workshop."

Emma's eyes bulged and she felt like a kid on Christmas Eve. "Get out of here. For real?" The jolly fat man was real? "Then how come I didn't get any presents?"

"Because no one could find you, not even he." Mary's face sobered up at this, dwelling on past memories. "Would you like to meet him?"

"Uh, sure." Could she really? Kids would literally kill for a chance at this.

"Splendid, we'll visit when we have more time. I'm sure he'll be delighted to see you." Mary began to walk down a path towards one of the bigger lodges. "But first, business."

At those words, Emma's wonder was cut short by the clarity of why she was here. She was here to be reunited with her family and no doubt to fill in the gaps on her destined role in ending the Apocalypse. She followed her newly minted mother who was skipping down the road, humming to herself. "Oh, I am just so happy to have been reunited with you," she squealed. "I have so much to show you and tell you. And we have so much to catch up on!"

Mary's happiness was contagious because Emma felt her lips lift up to smile along despite all of what had just happened back down on Earth. Her thoughts returned back to Regina and to what the demon was doing now, or where she was going to be taken. She...even though the truth had finally come out between them, Emma felt like there was so much more missing between them. Like there was more to the picture. Or maybe she was just being foolish and dumb and wanting to think the best just because she was in love.

Her heart pinged with pain and she took a deep steadying breath. Regina had betrayed her, after she had promised she never would. After she knew how important it was for Emma not to be betrayed, for her to have that trust.

Damn it, her thoughts were still in so much commotion. She needed to stop thinking about this and focus more on the task at hand- whatever it was Mary had planned. They made it to the lodge but before they walked in, Mary blocked the door entrance. Hands on hips she surveyed her daughter. "I know you're upset. These sorts of things- having to save the world, being the chosen one- are a lot to handle. But I believe in you. You'll do just fine!"

Mary smiled brightly at Emma who tried to return the smile but failed. "It's not just that," Emma admitted because even though she didn't trust anyone right now, she needed to speak, her pain too much to hold in. "Regina betrayed me...and I...I didn't ever have anyone else in my life, it was just the two of us always."

Mary frowned at this but let Emma continue. "So I trusted her because I had no one else to trust and then she...it turned out she was using me all along." Emma would not cry. She would not cry damn it! She sucked an unsteady breath in and blinked back the tears pressing at her eyes.

"My poor dear," Mary cupped Emma's cheek. "You just trusted the wrong people. Demons can never be trusted. But us angels, we're a good lot. We'll always be by your side. Family, will always be by your side." Emma allowed herself to be pulled into a hug. Mary's words were sweet, but after the betrayal Emma had just had she didn't want to trust anyone yet. Couldn't trust them.

"Okay," she said simply because she didn't know what else to say. They parted and finally walked into the building. It was fairly empty inside only with a bunch of clear plastic tubes descending from the ceiling. "Those are travel tubes. They lead anywhere you want in Heaven," Mary clarified before Emma could even ask. "Hold here, I'm going to place some very important phone calls to some very important people."

Emma nodded her head and took to standing by the window just people watching for now.

* * *

And that was how Emma found herself on stage before a crowd of thousands in the center of an Angel city.

_Mary and her damned phone calls._

Emma was freaking out and her hands were sweaty. This was like doing those conventions but worse because there was like ten times the amount of people here and no one to hold her hand or calm her down. Emma remembered the way Regina would soothingly wrap her fingers around Emma's slender hands and how it would immediately calm Emma down.

_Regina._

Emma closed her eyes briefly at the fresh wave of pain thinking on the demon caused her. Would it ever hurt less to think on her?

The crowd was clapping along to something Mary and David had said, the two angels at the podium while Emma sat back, waiting for her moment to step up and be revealed as the savior. Maybe she should start paying attention?

"..and now it is our great honor to introduce someone special to all of us. Someone who represents hope, and light, and a chance for a better future. Emma Swan!" Emma stood to her feet. Her legs were shaking so badly she didn't know how she was going to make it over there, but Mary and David were looking on at her with so much kindness and pure joy in their eyes that she took a steadying breath and made it over somehow. The crowd had clapped for her but they were obviously confused as to who she was and why they had been called from war preparations for this.

Emma stood between Mary and David, her mother hovering a hand on her shoulder and the touch helped to ground Emma just a bit but not nearly as well as it would have if it had been Regina's. "It was a long 24 years for us. We had started off with a beautiful baby daughter, a daughter who would bring our family closer together. A daughter who would hold the power to stop the oncoming apocalypse. But then she was taken from us. By that dreaded Evil Queen!" Mary's voice grew darker.

A series of boo's and hisses emanated from the crowd and Emma squirmed uncomfortably.

"It was a dark time for us all. We had lost our daughter, and Heaven had lost it's savior. But today, I have brought you good news. My daughter lives and she has been found. She is Emma Swan!"

The crowd erupted into shocked gasps and scattered applause.

David raised his hand and silence rose. "I know many of you will have questions and it will be impossible for us to answer them all when we have a war to get on with. But know this, Emma will fight for us. She will fight to bring an end to the Apocalypse!"

Applause at those words while Emma smiled lopsidedly, feeling overwhelmed by this all.

"Therefore we will give Emma the chosen one's weapon." Mary went over to a side table where a long object wrapped in cloth was held. She lifted it up and handed it to Emma who nearly staggered under it's weight. "Open it," she said softly and Emma did so with shaking hands. Cloth fell away and revealed a sword that was silver with a simple handle that contained a clear stone at the end. It was otherwise unimpressive but everyone in the audience was gasping in shock.

"We are awarding Emma with the sword of Gabriel. A legendary sword that kills demons in one hit. It has been wielded by only the best of warriors, by the purest of them. And we hope Emma can lead us to salvation with it."

Emma looked at the sword, catching her anxious expression in the blade. What the hell was she supposed to do with this? She didn't know how to use a sword!

"To Emma!" David raised his fist in the air.

"To our savior!" cried out the crowd and as Emma watched they all got down on their knees in honor of her. The ocean of worry from earlier crashed on over Emma's head. It was her job to master the tides, to give the water a direction and flow, but she couldn't help but feel like the ocean was going to win; the weight of all this water was just too much.

 _You've got the wrong woman. I'm no savior. I'm no warrior nor a beacon of light_ is what Emma wanted to stutter out but instead, on Mary's wordless instance, she raised her sword up high. The light caught on it's edges and shone brightly as the crowd chanted.

"Long live the Swan!"

* * *

After the ceremony, in which some angels tried to prostrate themselves in front of her and kiss her shoes, Emma followed David and Mary to their house.

Mansion, was a better term. Apparently they were a rich family.

"Would you like a tour of your house?" Mary asked sweetly, but Emma only shook her head no. Right now everything was a bit too much and she needed to lie down and get some sleep.

"Another time, Mary," David said, noticing Emma's numb expressions. "Emma needs some time to let this all sink in. And, she needs to be told the rest of her destiny."

"Right. I'll hop in and make some tea then. David, you get started." Mary flounced away and Emma sat down at the grand table, setting her re-wrapped sword down gently by the side. David took the seat in front of her, rubbing his hands together as he tried to find a good way to start. "You're mother is better at spinning glorious tales than I am," he admitted.

"Then just tell me the truth. Spare me the frills and glamour. I'm too tired."

David nodded his head, leaned back in his chair. "Mary and I are angels, but not just any sort of angels. We are angels in true love. Love happens to be the most powerful magic of all. It has shaped empires, aroused armies, and led to countless beauties to be discovered and created. We weren't always angels of true love; it happened gradually and out of nowhere. True love isn't an entirely common occurrence, even among angels. It takes the right set of events, the right sort of people, and something more powerful than any being can hope to posses- destiny. There was a prophecy foretold that in the years to come, true love would rise to the call of adversity and create a savior that would save the world from the end. No one had much of a clue as to when this would happen, or who it would be, or even what it could be.

"So the angels bid their time, going on with life, fighting demons on a day by day basis. And then your mother and I came into existence and fell in love some odd five thousand years after the prophecy was made. And then you were created." At this David's face bloomed in joy. "You were a gift to us. Our special little girl. A girl who was created of true love. And suddenly the prophecy made sense. You were going to be the savior of this world. You were going to lead the angels into battle against the demons and win the war." His face sobered up once more. "But before you could, before we could even so much as celebrate our second day with having you in this world, you were stolen."

Emma knew what happened next. Regina had attested to as much. "Regina took me, and dumped me in the human world."

He nodded his head grimly. "She did. I do not know how she managed to steal you, for there is no easy way for a demon to gain entrance to Heaven and there was no sign of her breaking in."

"Inside help?" Emma suggested but David only shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous, what angel would aid a demon? What angel would wish to see the world come to harm?"

"I've come with tea," Mary announced, carrying a tray over to them. She set it down in the middle of the table and began to pour a cupful into the three cups there. Emma took the offered cup but didn't drink from it just yet. Her stomach was twisted up in knots and she didn't very well feel like eating or drinking anything.

"We were completely devastated by your loss. We looked everywhere but we couldn't find you. Whatever Regina had done had hid you well."

Now Emma understood Regina's caution, in her insistence to remain hidden. It wasn't for fear of attracting demons, but angels.

"We began to lose hope. Began to think you were dead. Was the prophecy ruined? What more could be done to save the world?"

"But then we found you, or rather you found us," Mary chimed in, rubbing the back of Emma's hand. "And now you can do what you were destined to do."

"And what am I supposed to do. You keep saying I have to save the world, but I'm only one person and with one measly sword and-"

David cut off her tirade. "That's why we're going to help you. You are never alone in this Emma. You are the forefront, the symbol of hope, and we shall be your sword and shield and guide you through what you must do."

"Don't worry, we'll take this one step at a time," Mary added.

Emma nodded her head numbly. She still didn't have a better clue on what the fuck she was supposed to do.

"You better get some rest. You have training tomorrow." Mary stood up. "I'll take you to your room."

And in a room fit for a princess with its canopy bed, heavy furniture, and lush carpets, Emma tried to sleep but couldn't.


	18. Part Two-Training is a Bitch

* * *

_I'm no hero_   
_And I'm not made of stone_   
_Right or wrong_   
_I can hardly tell_   
_I'm on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell_

_-Five Finger Death Punch, Wrong Side of Heaven_

* * *

Training was a pain in the ass. A giant pain in the ass. Like, a super giant angelic pain in the ass. The whole first week of Emma's stay in Heaven was chaotic. She barely had a moment to breathe and get settled or adjusted to her new life because her parents told her that even though they wished she had more time to transition, that the Apocalypse wasn't going to wait around for her and it was time to get her ass in gear. Which meant training. A lot of training. So much that she thought her arms were going to fall off.

First up had been sword fighting.

"You need to learn how to wield a sword," David had said when he saw how abysmally Emma even held the weapon. She was holding it like it was a stick with poop on the end of it. Normally he would have been more than happy to teach her how to use it, but as one of the generals of the war he didn't have time. So he hired Graham to help her with it.

The man was a great warrior, called the Huntsman for his penchant of hunting down demons without mercy, and he was all too eager to serve Emma. "I will gladly aid the Savior." And he had bowed which made Emma very uncomfortable. Were all angels going to be like this around her 24/7? They all bowed when they saw her, or went around sending her their blessings or just in general fangirling over her. It was annoying.

From eight in the morning to 12 in the afternoon, Emma spent time with Graham, listening to him instruct her how to use her sword, how to block and attack with it and what to do if she ever was disarmed. It was tedious mind-numbing work and Emma was tempted more often than not to cut her own arms off just so she wouldn't have to do anymore of his stupid exercises.

She was surprised she didn't need strength training, for she swore that's how all great training montages worked in movies.

He had laughed when she brought it up. "You're an angel. You already have super human strength."

"Really?" she tilted her head, skeptical. It didn't seem that way to her.

"Here," he threw her a crowbar made of metal. "Bend this."

"I'm not an avatar, I can't do metal bending," she rolled her eyes at his inane demand.

"What?" his bushy eyebrows rose in confusion.

"Never mind," she waved the reference off. She supposed she might as well try his stupid demand since she couldn't leave until her training was over.

She gripped the ends of the bar and thinking it would take her an insane amount of effort to bend it, put all her power into it, the bar curling up into a ball in her hands seconds later.

"What the fu-?" how, how had she done that?

"Told you," Graham said smugly as he took the ball from her and straightened it out again between his massive hands like it was made of play-doh.

"How-How?"

"You're embracing your angel heritage. Maybe not consciously, but somewhere inside your mind you are. Back on Earth you had no idea you were an angel, but now that you know you aren't human your latent abilities are coming out."

Emma raised her brows so high up they almost touched her hairline. "Well, that's fucking fantastic."

Graham winced on the swear word. "Uh, your grace, we don't swear in Heaven."

"Huh?"

"I know you grew up in the human world, but we don't swear here."

"Uh, okay." That was weird, but she guessed it made sense since angels were 'good' and swearing was 'bad'. Just, it was going to be hard for her since she was used to openly speaking her mind.

He nodded his head, grateful. "Shall we get back to sword fighting?"

Later after the session was done and Emma had her lunch break, she took to going around and finding random metal structures around town that she could bend. The residents of Heaven suddenly found that their lampposts and bike stands and mailboxes were oddly misshapen.

From one to three pm, Emma was to study Angel History and customs with an angel named Belle. She was the town historian and she knew everything there was to know about Heaven society. She always had several books on her at all times so she could reference things and there was this whole nerdy vibe around her that Emma found cute but annoying at the same time. She took books so seriously and when Emma had accidentally ripped a page she thought Belle was going to murder her right then and there.

Their sessions seemed to drag on for hours and Emma found her attention wandering. She never really cared much for schooling. Regina had taught her reading and writing and math and that was all she really needed. And she didn't care about angel history. Sure, she was an angel and she hadn't the slightest clue about her heritage other than she was a force of good and meant to save the world, but it was just so boring sitting in a room and pouring over ancient books that smelled of moth balls.

Belle would get annoyed at Emma's petulant and childish behavior and resistance when it came to learning and being quizzed on the information. Emma supposed Belle's behavior was more refreshing. She didn't treat Emma like some saint, like the very ground on which she walked should be worshiped. In fact, it almost seemed like she had a disdain for the Charming's little princess. But Emma didn't care to figure out what it was. She wasn't here to make friends. She was just here to do whatever it was the angels wanted from her before she could go back to pretending she wasn't some all powerful angel.

Three to six was magic lessons. Thanks to Regina's earlier lessons, Emma didn't have such a hard time picking up on what she was expected to learn here. She already was a good caster and she knew a full set of thirty spells she had mastered over the years. So her instructor, an old woman that simply went by the name of Granny, didn't have much to do other than assign Emma some books to read along with some practice for new spells that would useful on the battlefield. Most of them were healing or protective magics which were fields that Emma already excelled at. Emma quite liked working with Granny. She was patient, understanding and like the grandmother that Emma never had. She had only been too delighted to offer her assistance to Emma, even coming out of a long retirement from society for this. Emma was honored.

Emma wondered how old she was, given how Emma rarely saw any older folks around Heaven.

"Oh dear," Granny had chuckled when Emma had tried to ask in a roundabout manner. "Let's just say that when the universe was just cooling down I was around to wander it's cool depths as a young babe."

Emma's eyes had bulged at that. "Holy shit, you're millions of years old?"

Granny tsked. "Language dear."

Emma's head was reeling. "Wait, so angels came from space? Are we like aliens or something?"

Granny shook her head. "We are simply entities that came from transcendence, from the remnants of what was left among the stars and planets and dark matter. We only gain meaning depending on what humans assign to us."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that when I was younger and there was no one to name me I was whatever I wanted to be. The wind in the trees, the pebbles under a foot, the sound of mother nature groaning. But when humans came along, when they began to weave their wonderful tales and songs, the group of us that had come here, drawn to the wealth of human spirits, took on the forms of those figures in the stories. We changed who we were to have a place called home. And gradually as time went by we forgot about our true forms, stuck to the conformity of that which the humans dictate. We live to serve humans, to protect them as best we can in the way they have made up for us. So, we cannot directly interfere in their lives like the demons do, because angels don't work like that. Good, doesn't work like that."

This was certainly more interesting than anything Belle had told Emma, mainly because she had never mentioned this.

"How come Belle never told me this?"

"Because she is young. They weren't around when we first started off. She is from those new generations that only knows how the world already is and not how it was. And the few of us ancients that do remain prefer to stand out of the way of the youngsters. We prefer to live our lives peacefully and with no interference at all." Granny shook her head, her withered hands knitting up a scarf as they so did whenever she let Emma work on her readings during their sessions together. "Sometimes the younger generations forget what it was to be free from obligations, to be whatever it was they wanted to be. Sometimes, they forget that the demons were once our brothers and sisters who were merely playing a silly role for the humans and that they never truly hated each other."

Emma had to sit down. "So...what you're telling me is...that we're all just shaped by the human imagination?"

Granny peered over her glasses at Emma. "Don't worry your head too much little one. We may just be stories people tell, but that doesn't mean you have to be that. You can be whatever it is you want."

"Easy for you to say, you don't have to stop the apocalypse."

"Neither do you." Granny gave a sly smile. "You can change the narrative of your story. Of anyone's story. Even that demon of yours."

Emma flushed at that. "How, how do you know-"

"I know everything, Emma. I am the very air you breathe, the very ground you walk, the very beating of the heart, and the blood through veins."

 _Gross, I'm breathing in old lady?_ Emma shuddered.

"And I know that while the angels have forgotten what it is to be them, you know how it is to be you. You know what it is to be Emma Swan, free to your own wills and devices. You don't have to be constrained to a single page or word in ink. Don't forget that."

Emma shook her head, not quite knowing what to say. Already it was hurting with all the new knowledge that she had gained. To know that essentially she was just being molded into the desire of some human's imagination was overwhelming. Her whole life had just been a story at someone's hand? No, she wouldn't let that be.

"Now, shall we get back to your training? You do have a tale to rewrite." Granny winked and Emma smiled.

The older woman made her feel more at peace for some reason, made her feel like perhaps things might not be so bad.

After training with Granny it was dinner time with the family. No matter what they were in the middle of, David and Mary would always come back for dinner with their daughter. They talk about each other's day, inquire how Emma's training was going, and ask about her life while as a human. It was perfect. These were the dinners Emma had always dreamed of. Her, her family, all laughing and smiling at each other with love in their eyes. But something was off. Something was missing and Emma didn't know what.

"Hey," she interrupted, cutting off Mary's story on how she couldn't wait to go clothes shopping with her daughter. "I'm curious. What does the prophecy say, like, exactly."

David and Mary looked at each other; their looks unreadable. "Word for word?" David asked, setting down his fork.

"Yea." Granny's words had Emma thinking. She wanted to know for herself what this prophecy said. She wanted to help shape her own narrative.

"I guess I can bring it out." David got up and went to a side room. Emma waited in silence until he returned holding a small gold chest. He handed it to her and stood back, watching her reaction in interest. "This is but a copy of it, given to us upon your birth."

Emma opened it up cautiously, remembering all too well what had happened last time that she had opened a box. Inside, instead of a captive demon, was a tiny scroll that she unfurled. In elegant but old fashioned script.

" _When two lost true loves collide_

_Overcoming everything to be together_

_Their joy and pride_

_will make the world better_

_The age old war and prejudice will end_

_by the power of the savior_

_who will unite the land_

_the herald of good, the saints paver_

_Armies will rise to their beckon, enemies will fall_

_They are not the night but the youth_

_of a new age for all,_

_freeing old chains and bringing about sooth_

_erasing the past and rewriting the future_

_they will the world suture"_

Emma looked at the scroll, brow furrowed. Well, that didn't really clear things up at all. The prophecy was vague as hell. "This could apply to anyone." She put the scroll back. "How do you know it applies to me?"

"Because it speaks to true love, and there haven't been any angels of true love for centuries before us. Therefore, it would only make sense that we are the ones whose child will be the savior," Mary said. "Isn't the prophecy so wonderful? So grand?" She clapped her hands. "It's exciting."

_More like a headache. I didn't ask for any of this._

Emma's efforts in getting her destiny cleared up were in vain. Guess she really was the savior no matter what they said.

"Are you done with dinner, sweetie? It's time for our flying lessons."

After dinner was when Mary tried to teach Emma how to fly. Unsuccessfully.

"You have wings, all angels do," Mary would insist as she floated by on hers so gracefully. Show off.

"Well, I guess mine are just shy or something," Emma had grumped. Emma hated this part of the day because she sucked at trying to fly. No matter what she did her wings wouldn't come out. Mary was getting frustrated with it too. "It's as natural for an angel to fly as it is for a bird. I don't understand where your wings could be."

"Maybe I've been grounded for too long?" Emma suggested haplessly. During one of the sessions Mary had decided it would have been a good idea to push Emma off of a cliff.

"Maybe your wings will come out during a life or death situation," Mary had said before she did it, no other warning.

"What the fuck-!" Emma screeched on the way down.

"Language," Mary chided like her daughter wasn't plummeting to her death.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Emma didn't normally hate heights but given how she kept being dropped from such heights- by Ursula, Zelena, and now her mother- she could see how she would develop a sudden fear of them.

"Look deep inside your self and call out your wings!"

But Emma wasn't listening, the wind whipping her face. "Maryyyyyyyyy!"

"Fine," Mary drawled before swooping down on her wings to save Emma before she became friends with the ground. She set her hyperventilating daughter down and rubbed her chin. "Guess that didn't work. Maybe if I throw you from an even higher place?"

"No THANK YOU!" Emma said, rubbing her chest where it felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest any moment. Ever since then it'd been harder to find a way for Emma to fly, so a lot of the time Mary made Emma meditate on reconnecting with the wings inside of her. It was dumb really, but Emma didn't have much of a choice. She would do the stupid training, stop the stupid apocalypse and then disappear off the radar. She didn't feel confident enough in her own abilities to do this. Everyone seemed to think she could do it, even Granny, but they didn't know what a trash-bag she had been during her 'human' years. She wasn't a good person. She wasn't.

But they couldn't see it.

The worst part about this all wasn't the blind trust, or the brutal training's but the fact that she missed Regina. Whenever her tired brain had a moment, it would turn back to Regina. How was she? Where even was she? Emma hadn't seen her since she stepped foot into Heaven. She wanted to go see her even though it wouldn't be a good idea to do so.

She missed her even though she knew she shouldn't.

She tried to bite back on her need to see the demon and focused all her energies on her training's but the longing remained and by the end of her second week people were beginning to notice.

"You're distracted," Graham said as he pulled her up from the mat he'd knocked her onto. "What's on your mind?"

Emma bit her lip, deliberating if she should tell him. But she couldn't hold this inside her. Vaguely, she began, "I kind of uhm, fell in love with someone."

"Why, that's wonderful! Love is a great emotion and especially with you, an angel made of pure love, it can reach-"

She put a hand out to stop him. She didn't need to hear this again; she got it as a speech from her mother each morning. "I know. It's just...this person did a terrible thing to me. They lied about our whole relationship. They don't feel as deeply for me as I do for them. And I...I know I should let them go but I just can't stop thinking about them and I'm so tired of my own emotions. I don't know what to do."

Graham frowned. "That's a terrible situation. But don't despair. I think you should talk to them. Sometimes misunderstandings can occur and love is something beautiful. Something that only happens once in a while and you wouldn't want to waste it."

"But I already talked to them and," at this Emma shrugged haplessly.

"Try talking to them again and if they do not truly like you than it's their loss, for you are an amazing person."

"I don't know about the amazing part, but okay, I'll talk to them again."

"Who is it?" Graham asked, curiosity in his eyes.

"No one," she shook her head, and feeling more present she hefted up her sword. "Sparring?" Emma would gather her courage up before she went to go see Regina once more.

He picked his own sword up, respectfully withholding his questions as their swords sang back and forth until she had him knocked onto his ass.

"Better, your grace. Soon whole hordes of demons won't be able to stop you," he praised as he picked himself up and she tried not to blanch at the idea of facing whole armies of enemies.

She wasn't as optimistic. "Let's hope."

* * *

"I want to go see Regina."

Silence greeted her.

"I want to go see Regina."

"E-excuse me?" Mary stuttered, dropping her fork on her plate. "Why ever would you want to go and do that?

"There are things...I want to talk about with her. Unresolved issues," Emma said vaguely, hoping her parents wouldn't dig deeper.

"What more can be said? She already admitted to betraying you."

Emma shook her head. What was it that they weren't getting? "It's more than that. I knew Regina for a long time, for my whole childhood and teenage years as I grew up into an adult. There are things we still need to talk about before that I wasn't able to address earlier."

Mary and David looked uncertain, worried smiles on their faces. "Emma, demons have forked tongues. There is no way she will say anything of merit-"

"I can tell when she's lying," Emma cut in. She just wanted to see Regina. The hold on her fork tightened until she was bending the metal, unaware she was doing that.

"Apparently that didn't work well enough, because you didn't know what she did to you," David added apologetically.

So annoying! Emma wasn't used to being denied things. She always got her way, her demon made sure of it. "That was just because I trusted her-"

"And you will trust her again and what if she lies once more and you go around-"

Emma stood up from her seat, smacking her hands on the table top and startling the cutlery. "Dammit, can you just let me see her?" Her two parents were shocked at the volume of her voice. "I'm not a little kid. I'm an adult now, the savior, and if I want something, I better damn well get it."

David and Mary exchanged looks, deliberating something within their silent gazes and pinched expressions. "Okay, I suppose you can go see her." Was the begrudged answer on David's part.

"And Emma, please don't curse in Heaven," Mary added meekly.

"Damn is not a bad word," Emma muttered out but sat back down, happy she was getting what she wanted. She was able to eat her food now instead of picking at it.

After dinner they went to go see Regina. She was being held in a state of the art prison, made of white marble and humming with energy. Emma began to feel nervous, her earlier ire at her parents fading. They escorted her through the prison, their high level clearance making sure their journey was unimpeded. "We won't go in with you," David said. "We don't want to intrude on your personal affairs."

"But please, be careful of what Regina says," Mary added in worry, hands clasped to her front.

Emma nodded her head but said nothing more, shouldering her way past the doors leading to Regina's residence. She stopped in front of a heavy door, overflowing with magic. It sucked what magic was in Regina to weaken her, the usually proud and strong woman sitting hunched down her knees up to her chest in her wrinkled business clothes, and her head hanging down. Was she asleep?

But her head jerked up when she heard Emma's footsteps. She blinked her eyes in disbelief, rising slowly to her feet. She moved like every joint in her body ached. "Emma is that you?"

Emma's heart lept in her chest and she found herself choking on her own emotions. A thousand different words wanted to exit her mouth; a thousand different things she wanted to say. She just didn't know what she could say or do; now that Regina was here in front of her, all the things she wanted to say were gone. "Yes, it's me," she struggled to answer.

"Are you here to yell at me?" Regina asked, face coming closer to the barred slot on top through which only a sliver of her face could be seen.

Was Emma here to yell at Regina? She knew she wanted to, knew that Regina, "deserved it...you deserve my ire," came out of Emma's throat and she wanted to stroke a finger down Regina's cheek, wipe the moisture from those big brown doe eyes. But she held this back. "I just...wanted to see you. Had to make sure you were okay." Their voices were quiet, like shadows that flitted from corner to corner. And the harsh dark blue light that covered this part of the building made them feel like no secrecy would be given here; that they had to measure their interactions safely.

"Thank you," Regina said, voice choking with emotion. Regina had betrayed Emma so deeply and yet Emma was still here to make sure she was okay. Regina didn't deserve that. She didn't. She just wished she could go back in time and change all that had occurred. Only the bad, and never the good. "And...I'm sorry." Apologies rarely ever left her throat. They were a rarity to her like a diamond was to a human. But she wanted to bestow this jewel onto Emma, because Emma deserved it, even if it was a diamond in the rough.

Regina's voice croaked with disuse, pulling out and dusting off each never used word. "I shouldn't have done that to you. But things were different when I was younger, and by the time I had come to care for you, I was already in too deep and there was no way I could tell you anything without breaking your trust in me. I was just going to keep you hidden forever and ever from my mother until this whole second coming was over. But I failed even in that." Regina gave a bitter a laugh. "I'm so pathetic." Regina knocked her head against the bars, hands pressed against the metal as if she could somehow touch Emma through it. Get a feel of her warmth. It was so cold in this cell. It stole her magic and her will and it made each day harder and harder to live through.

Emma quietly soaked in Regina's apology. She had never heard Regina be so truly and deeply sorry for something. And she wasn't lying. It was genuine. "Thank you," she whispered, trying to discreetly sniffle. "I accept your apology but you're not forgiven yet. I need some time."

Regina nodded her head, the hole in her heart threatening to eat her alive. "I understand. So, how is being savior feel like?" she asked, only to distract herself from her despair.

"It sucks," Emma laughed ruefully, hands also pressed up against the door. Regina was so close, and she ached to touch her, to ease the furrows in her brows, to shake the cold out of stiff joints, and to smooth the creases of Regina's now carelessly creased clothes. She wasn't used to seeing Regina in such a bleak situation, in such disregard for her own appearance. It was concerning. "You were right to keep me from it."

Regina shook her head; how could Emma think Regina hiding her destiny from her was good? "But it's who you are. Your true path and calling in life and I took it from you."

"Well, my true calling sucks. I'd always hoped to be a soccer player or something."

Regina chuckled lightly at this, shared memories of the time Emma joined a soccer team playing in their heads. Emma had scored every single goal with help from Regina's magic, and also been untouchable. Players had gotten suspicious so they'd left but not before starting a soccer game riot. It had been fun and Emma had never played soccer after that, citing she'd always hated the sport and never cared for actually being a star.

There was a loud banging from the other side of the hall, where Mary and David were. "Emma, it's time to go," her father called, anxious to leave Emma with the demon for too long.

Emma gave Regina a small sad smile. "Sorry, savior duties call. I'll be back soon."

"I hope so," Regina said and the look of longing in her eyes was so strong that Emma wanted to reach in and comfort her, but she couldn't, magic and a steel door in between them. Emma turned on her heel and strode out, resisting the urge to look back, because if she did, she wouldn't be able to resist wanting to stay by Regina's side.

"What did you two talk about?" Mary asked too curiously as the door shut behind Emma, announcing the finality of her separation from Regina.

"Just...stuff," Emma said vaguely because there was no way she was going to share the fact that Regina had apologized to her to the angels. To do so would be like cheapening the words. Like revealing some sort of secret.

Mary didn't pry any further though the answer did not satisfy her. She could see Emma was happier, like some weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. All she ever wanted was her daughter to be happy. And she knew something she could do that would guarantee Emma's happiness.

And Emma was happier. For the rest of the week she was able to sleep more restfully and focus more on the tasks at hand.

* * *

Week three passed a bit more quickly for Emma as she slowly got into the rhythm of the angel world and her training's. She hadn't had a chance to visit Regina again, but she was hoping she could. Done with her sword training, she started to pack up her gear, already planning on using her lunch break to secretly visit Regina now that she knew where the demon was. She hadn't seen her ever since her last visit, having clamped down on her want to do so, so it wouldn't seem she was desperate to see her demon when she actually was. "Alright, Graham. I'm going to get lunch."

"Got any plans for the day?" The question was meant to be innocent but Emma felt wary of telling him she was going to visit Regina so she didn't say anything about that. "No, not really. Just doing my training's and then going home to dinner around six."

"Are you not going?" Graham asked in confusion as Emma packed up her gear and slung the heavy bag over her shoulder

"Going where?" she asked, unwrapping the wrap around her hands.

"To the execution at Angel Square."

Emma's stomach dropped at this. "Executions still exist in this day and age?"

Graham shrugged. "They do here. But only for capitol offenses."

"Whose getting executed?"

"The Evil Queen."

Emma's stomach dropped all the way to her feet as did her bag. They were going to  _kill_  Regina? Without another thought she booked it out of the gym.

"Emma? Emma!" Graham called out after her but she only ran faster.

By the time she got there she was sweaty and out of breath and her eyes had this crazy quality to them. On a wooden platform above a giant crowd, were Mary and David with a man in a hood holding a huge ax. The executioner.  _Shit. Am I too late? Where is she? Where is Regina!_

"Today we have gathered here to publicly punish the demon known as the Evil Queen for her crimes against angel-kind, humankind, and our savior Emma Swan."

Okay, good, it looked like it hadn't started yet.

"These crimes are as follows," David pulled out a scroll and began to read in his booming voice. "Over a thousand counts of angel murder in the first degree, multiple cases of assault against angels including I, David Charming, and my wife Mary Margaret, along with conspiring towards Heaven's demise. Manipulation of humans and their wills, killing of humans up to innumerable numbers, stealing, arson, treachery, world domination and tyrannical control, plus other smaller crimes which are too many to be listed now. And finally, the most grievous of crimes, stealing the savior and attempting to turn her over to the demons."

There were hisses and screamed insults and David nodded his head in agreement with them. "Bring out the scum of the Earth!"

Emma watched, frozen, as two guards dragged Regina out none too gently. She was wearing white drab robes that hung loosely over her body. Her feet were bare and scrapping roughly against the ground as she was forced closer to the stage. Her hands were chained behind her back but she walked with her head up and proud, her usually illustrious hair a tangled mess.

"For your crimes, Evil Queen, you will suffer the most heinous of punishments. A thousand beheading's, followed by being boiled alive in holy water, then being rendered limb from limb and organ from organ over a serious of a hundred years before finally being crucified."

 _What the fuck._  Emma lifted a hand up to her mouth, feeling ill at all that was going to happen. Weren't angels supposed to be merciful? Weren't they supposed to be good?

And why the hell hadn't her parents told her this was going to happen today? Why hadn't they mentioned anything to her? She began to push her way through the crowd, desperate to reach Regina as the demon was forced to her knees in front of a wooden block.

The executioner lumbered up behind her, swiping a finger to test the sharpness of his tool. He wielded a special weapon that would slice the demons head right off only for the head to stitch back together so he could cut it again, and again, and again until it had been a thousand cuts. And the demon would feel the agony of every one. Just as he lifted his ax up, someone broke free from the masses of angels.

"Stop!" The cry rang through and froze him.

"Emma?" Mary gasped out, not expecting to see her daughter here.

"What the hell! You were going to kill Regina and not tell me anything?" Emma yelled as she barged through the crowd that made space for her, and got up on the wooden platform where Regina was kneeling, arms behind her back and head positioned on a block of wood.

Gasps of shock came from the audience.

"Sweetie," Mary started, not understanding the level of anger on her daughter's face. "She's a demon. And she hurt you." This was obvious to everyone here. Demons must die.

Regina had hurt Emma but that didn't mean she deserved to die! "And so what? She doesn't deserve to die for that. I'm here, aren't I? I'm alive and okay and it was only thanks to her I managed to stay alive for so long."

"Emma," Mary shook her head, confused. "I don't understand. Why do you protect her? After all she's done, after all she's done to you and others and to us, why protect her? Don't you want her to pay? Think of all the lives she ruined."

Emma knew that, knew that and couldn't find it in herself to care. Regina was only doing what was in her nature, what she had been writ as, same as Mary and all these other angels and demons.

"Than what about you? You kill demons indiscriminately. Without a single care! That's not right either, but you don't get charged for those crimes."

"Emma, they're demons. They're nothing. We're doing the world a favor by killing them." Mary was ardent on that, voice stern.

Emma could see what Regina meant when she said angels were bad if not worse than demons in some aspects. "And what about the humans? You leave them unprotected, let the demons control them. Where are you when they really need you?"

"You are new to all this, that's why you're so confused. Angels operate differently than demons or humans. We cannot do as we wish. We have rules to follow," David input. "And we are kind in our punishment of Regina. She deserves far worse than she is receiving."

"This is mercy?" Emma was practically shaking. She knew Regina wasn't good- she was a fucking demon after all, one who was well known for the murders and crimes she had committed but she hadn't been like that around Emma. She had been, almost normal. Less violent. And Emma loved her. For all of Regina's dark deeds and faults, Emma couldn't just let her die like this. Not without a fair fight. "As savior I forbid you from doing this." She didn't even know if she could do this, but she was invoking her powers now.

More gasps from the crowd. David and Mary looked pale.

"Emma, what are you doing?" Regina croaked out and behind her brave facade Emma could see the misery on her face. See the hope she wouldn't let herself feel.

"I'm saving you."

"Don't do that, you idiot."  _I don't deserve to be saved_ sat on the tip of her tongue.

Emma smiled at the insult. "You're the idiot, giving up so easily."

"Emma...I don't understand. Don't you hate Regina? Don't you want to repay her for all she's done to you?" Mary croaked out.

"She took your family from you, your past, your heritage, and tried to use it for her own means," David added.

Emma rolled her shoulders back and looked defiantly into her parents faces. "I don't care. I love her."

Absolute silence at this from her parents. Mary looked like the world had ended-again- and David's jaw hung open so far Emma was surprised it hadn't dropped to the floor. The crowd was in an absolute outrage over this. Several angel guards had to restrain them, pushing them back and trying to get them to quiet down.

"Emma..." Mary looked superbly pale, like a sheet of paper. "...you...love her?" she spoke each word like it was knives down her throat.

"I do," Emma said resolutely and without an ounce of regret. "The years have not been kind to either of us and feelings bloomed between us. I love her, even if she's done terrible things to others, and to my trust, but I especially love her because she's a demon.

Mary was now making high pitched noises that only dogs could hear, before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed to the floor, David too frozen to catch her. Fires were opening up in the crowd, it starting to turn into a full scale riot.

"Emma...you shouldn't have done that," Regina said sadly. "An angel and demon in love is blasphemy."

But Emma didn't care. Didn't care for the rules of such archaic worlds. She was used to getting her way and fuck anyone who tried to tell her otherwise. "Then I guess they better get used to it," she shrugged unapologetically, staring in wonder at the chaos she had made as the first blood of the riot was spilled, sending angels into a frenzy. This was something she was more used to doing. This madness and violence, not being prim and following rules all the time, in trying to pretend she was something she was not; this was home.


	19. Part Two- Free Me From These Shackles

* * *

_Said angel, woah oh oh/ You'll probably never take me back and I know this/ I'm so desensitized to feeling these emotions/ Cause all I see are wings, I can see your wings/ But I know what I am and the life I live, yeah, the life I live/ And even though I sin, we all want to live/ But I know time will tell if we're meant for this_

_-Angel, The Weeknd-_

* * *

The cell doors opened up with a creak to admit one angel into the room. Regina looked up from where she had been kneeling on the ground, arms chained behind her to the wall, and eyes casts downwards ever since the failed execution. "Well, hello Mary Margaret. Miss me already?" she asked, a venomous smile sliding onto her face to mask her inner emotions.

Mary didn't have time for pleasantries. She slammed the door shut behind her giving the two of them privacy. "What did you do to her? What did you do to my darling Emma?" There was a thunderous rage in her eyes and her voice echoed off of the walls, digging into Regina's sensitive ears. So this was what this meeting was going to be about. She should have expected this sooner or later.

Regina straightened her back out as far as she could given her chained arms and jutted her chin up proudly. "I fucked her."

Crack!

There was the whiplash sound of Mary's fist hitting Regina square in the face, so fast that the demon hadn't even seen it coming. Regina's head whipped over to the right and she stifled the groan of pain that wanted to come out.

"You fucked my daughter?" Mary's screams reached to high heaven and her hands were curled up into fists, waiting to strike again.

Oh, an angel cursing? And Mary being the one doing it? She was really, really ticked off.

_Good._ Grim satisfaction filled Regina.

Regina shook her head out to clear the stars in front of her vision. "Long and hard."

Another hit, this time sending Regina's face careening to the left and blood flying out her lips. She panted hard, mouth full of copper.

She had forgotten how it felt to feel pain, to be actually hurt by something so simple as a punch. In these cells all her powers were stripped from her, leaving her as weak as a human. But she wanted to keep goading Mary. Wanted to enjoy the way her lips curled up at the thought that a demon had had her daughter, that damned smile finally gone from her face.

"You disgusting creature! How dare you defile something so pure and good!"

Regina formed her pained lips into a smile. "I defiled her everywhere. In the bed-"

Mary savagely grabbed the front of Regina's shirt and punched her again this time from close quarters. Regina gasped at the pain shooting through her face but went on. "-on the floor-" another hit, "-on the kitchen counters-" this third punch made blood pour down her nose, "and, she loved it. She moaned my name in such a filthy manner-" a head butt at this that sent Regina's head into a tizzy. Her voice was getting weaker and weaker as the violence took its toll. "She begged me to fuck her. Spread her legs for me like a whore." A sharp jab to the gut.

"Stop talking about Emma that way!" Mary cried out, tears streaming down her face now. "My daughter is not a whore. She's not!"

All the air wheezed out of Regina's lungs. Still, in a whisper she spoke.

"I was the one who stole her innocence in the first place."

That sent Mary into an absolute frenzy. "You give it back! You give it back right now!" Her fists were everywhere, pummeling every inch of Regina's body, the cell filled only with the smack of fists and Regina's failed attempts to stem her grunts of pain. She eventually collapsed to the ground, unable to stand up to anymore of the angel's assaults. And even then Mary didn't stop. Crying and screaming incoherently, she kept kicking at Regina who curled up into a small ball unable to protect herself. Everything hurt.

She deserved this. This was the pain she deserved for tricking Emma. For hurting her. With this agony she could forgive herself a little more for what she had done to her angel.

The cell doors opened once more and David came in, gasping when he saw what was happening. "Mary stop, stop!" He pulled on her arms, trying to drag her out but she was resisting his efforts, kicking and screeching at him until he finally managed to drag her out by the arms. The door slammed shut and finally, silence.

Regina lay there, listening to the drip of her own blood from her nose as the pile of red around her grew. She ached all over: her bruised ribs, her sore jaw, her broken nose, her blue and black eyes, her kicked legs and pummeled stomach.

But the worst pain wasn't any physical wound.

It was her heart.

It ached for Emma.

* * *

When the cell door creaked open a third time, Regina prayed it wasn't Mary again. Her body hadn't had enough time to recuperate from the brutal beating it had taken mere hours before. But when she heard the loud and horrified gasp, she knew it wasn't Mary or David. It was her sweet darling Emma.

"Regina, what the fuck happened to you? Who did this to you?" Emma's gentle hands contrasted her sharp tone and she slowly propped Regina up into a sitting position so she could get a better look at her. Regina stifled a pained groan at the motion. She didn't want Emma to see how badly hurt she was.

Regina shook her head. "It's not important who did this to me. I'm fine."

"You're not fine!" Emma insisted, using her sleeve to wipe away at the blood drying on Regina's lips. "Who did this?"

Regina knew who had, but she didn't want to spoil Emma's opinion on her mother. "Some...angel," she said, scoffing. "Clearly."

"Why would they do this to you?" Emma's hand came to cradle Regina's bruised cheek and some magic began to flow outwards from Emma. Demonic magic might be restricted up here, but not her powers. Regina let out a content sigh as Emma's magic warmed her body, seeping into her weary and aching bones and healed her. Within moments her cuts and bruises and broken ribs had disappeared.

"I told you why. The world is not kind to an angel and demon together. Less so to the demon, because it is always blamed on them the angel's corruption," Regina said softly, closing her eyes briefly. Emma had been stupid in announcing her love in front of the angel population. The angels would stop at nothing to kill her now. Emma would be spared, because she was the savior. This love she had for a demon would only be marked down as demon trying to lead her into sin. She would recover and continue being revered only because she was the savior and thus incorruptible truly.

"And so what? Now it's okay for them to come into your cell and treat you like this?" Emma spat in disgust. "I thought angels were supposed to be good and just and kind and loving!"

"They are, but only to their own kind," Regina admitted before she shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Emma. They're still going to kill me, even if you told them you love me. They just have to rewrite the punishments now to make them more befitting my sins." Regina couldn't help the small shudder that ran through her body. She was no stranger to torture, but facing them without her powers to numb the pain was going to be hell, literally.

And she knew Mary and David would take immense pleasure in doling out the punishments themselves especially after all Regina had told the woman. She supposed this was fine. Emma was now safe among the angels were no demon, especially not Cora, could touch her, and Regina once dead wouldn't have to face becoming an instrument of her mother's whims.

No, she shook her head. Since when had these weak thoughts invaded her mind? She wasn't ready to die. She didn't just quit like that! She was the Evil Queen!

It must be these damn angel cells, the magics at work here making her suicidal.

"I won't let them do that to you," Emma whispered harshly, her thumb making circles on Regina's cheeks. Seeing Regina in such a state had sent her into panic mode, into wanting to seek revenge on whoever had done this to her. She'd never seen Regina that hurt before. She'd seen Regina in worse conditions, with guts torn out, with lungs missing-but she had been fine. She had acted like she had had a mere scratch. But here, in this cage, she had been curled up into a pitiful little ball, covered in her own blood, trying hard not too breath too strongly in fear she would aggravate her wounds.

What was wrong with an inter-species relationship?

Emma knew things wouldn't get better for Regina. She had hoped her declaration of love might change things since angels were big on love. But it had done nothing only delay the execution. She couldn't let Regina sit in this cell and rot until her next order of execution. Emma wouldn't do that. "I'm setting you free."

"What?" Regina's head jerked up, confused. Certain she had heard this wrong.

"I don't wish to punish you for the things you've done to me. You've already apologized, and I know you don't really love me, but...it's fine. I understand." Emma's voice shook a little at that. It's fine if Regina didn't feel that way for her. No one had ever really loved Emma. Not Neal, and not her parent's because they had let her be stolen so easily.

"Emma, that's not-" Regina wanted badly to refute the point but her admittance for her more loving feelings towards Emma just wouldn't come out her throat. Why couldn't she force them out? Was it because she was still too afraid to believe she loved her? She shook her head, sighing. "Emma, you are a good person. I don't know how I could never see this, how I could think you could be corrupted."

"But I'm not good-"

"You may not see it, but I do. It's bubbling underneath your facade of disaster and danger. No matter what you do, you cannot be turned evil, and Satan knows I've tried. Tried so hard. You can never be evil and that's because being in love has made you reborn from all those false sins on you, because love always forgives."

Emma didn't know what to say to this. To being called so pure and good. Because she still liked causing chaos and panic and doing whatever it was she wanted for fun. How was that not a bad thing? She squirreled her thoughts away. Now wasn't the time to have a midlife crisis on what she truly was. She had to get Regina out of here. "Follow me out. I have a plan on how to get you out." Emma didn't really, but she wouldn't dare risk having Regina spend another night here. Who knows what next could happen to her. Emma would just make up the plan on the spot.

Besides, how hard could it be to smuggle a demon out when once before a demon had been smuggled into heaven. The latter sounded way more challenging.

"Should you really be letting a demon out?" Regina pondered, accepting Emma's proffered hand in getting up. Her legs still felt a bit shaky and her body unsteady but it was no longer in agony like it had been before. Would Emma get in trouble with the higher powers? Or would she lose her position here?

Emma flashed her a smile that she hoped looked more confident than she felt. "I'm the motherfucking savior and I do what the fuck I want."

* * *

They stood on the edge of Heaven, the cloud hanging over the city below it, Regina's feet planted firmly in the white matter and not too far from the drop. Her powers had slowly returned to her so she knew she'd be able to easily handle falling down to Earth- and really, it was sort of poetic in a sense. Lucifer had once been an angel before he had fallen from Heaven, and what were demons if not fallen angels?

Emma looked on at Regina wordlessly, not sure what to say or do. She had done it, had gotten Regina free, but now what? Would she ever see her demon again?

Regina too was dreading to say her goodbyes. There was no telling when next they would see each other, but it most certainly would be on the battlefield. "Emma," she said her angel's name softly. "I know things haven't been the best between us as of now, but I swear to you. I will make things right again. I promise it."

Emma nodded her head numbly, eyes sad. Tentatively Regina cupped Emma's cheeks in her own and stroked her thumbs over them. She wanted to lean in and kiss Emma, but she didn't know if she had that privilege anymore. Instead she offered up a watery smile and dropped her hands. Without another word she turned her back on Emma and stretched out her hands before taking the step forward and plunging down into a free-fall.

Emma's heart was in her mouth as she watched her demon disappear. She wanted to look down and see if she landed safely but she resisted the urge. She had to go back before anyone suspected her in Regina's escape.

Regina poofed while still in midair. She knew where she needed to go. Where she had been avoiding going for the longest time.

Purple smoke curled up on top of a layer of human bodies that covered the floor like a carpet to her mother's throne as Regina materialized. Her mother sat on a throne made of human bones, some with pieces of flesh still on them, clad in dress with a cape full of spikes on the back like she was wearing some other monster's skin. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my wayward daughter finally showing up for the first time in decades. Did you enjoy fucking the angel senseless? Because you certainly wasted my time!" She snarled as she stood up, flourishing her dark cape around her, flames erupting behind her throne in added dramatics.

Regina immediately knelt in front of her mother, refusing to look up as a sign of deference. "I have the soul as you asked. Let us not waste anymore time."

Cora sniffed haughtily but sat back down calmly. "Try as you might Regina, you are a demon, and you can never be good. How many more foolish rebellions will it take for you to figure that out?"

"The angel had my head confused. Her goodness often tried to stamp out my evil. But I won in the end," Regina said coldly, now getting up. She was tired of this struggle between good and evil. She just wanted things to be simple again. Wanted her heart to stop hurting.

She reached into her Vault and pulled out the jar containing the soul in it. She held it out in front of her and Cora smiled something wicked.

* * *

Emma had just barely laid her head to rest when the alarms went off, blaring like a headache throughout the whole city. "What the hell?" she muttered out, annoyed. She had just finished securing Regina's safe passage out of Heaven and she wanted some damned sleep! Was that so much to ask for?

Before she could so much as finish tying the robe around her shoulders, her mother and father stormed into the room. "Emma, where's Regina?"

"What? Why would I know?" She didn't like their accusations, their direct belief she had something to do with this, even though she did.

"Because you're in l-l-lo-ugh," Mary pressed a hand to her chest, visibly exhausted and disgusted. "I can't say the words. You say them for me," she turned to David who frowned but did as asked. "Because you're in love with her. And she might have corrupted that connection to manipulate you into helping her."

Emma could feel herself growing angry. Did they really believe so lowly of demons? Maybe other demons, sure. But Regina was different. She wasn't like them (for the most part, and if one ignored the terrible things she had done in the past). "Weren't you going to kill her anyways?" Emma demanded angrily. "So what difference does it make that she's not here?"

"We weren't going to kill her..." David admitted, painfully. "Because no matter how upset we were that she had done something like this to you-" both angels here looked like they were going to be visibly sick, "we noticed her heart had changed and since you loved her, we didn't want to break your heart. It was the least we could do to make up for all the years we were separated from each other."

This decision had not come lightly and especially given Mary's outburst.

They hadn't decided to kill her after all that? That was good to know. So maybe they weren't as stubborn and one track minded as Emma had assumed. Their love for her outweighed their sense of justice. A huge burden dropped from her shoulders.

Emma tipped her head to the side, curious. She hadn't known this. "How is her heart changed?"

"She's-well, she's in love," David said sheepishly and uncomfortable in admitting this. "With you."

Emma felt her heart skyrocket in her chest; it was all she had ever wanted. "She is?" But if she was, why hadn't she said a damned thing? Why was she acting like she wasn't? Was it to protect Emma?

"Unfortunately yes," Mary added, twisting her hands in anxiety. "That's why we were hoping of keeping her here so we could work on her, draw that change out of her heart and make her suitable to be...with you." She didn't want her daughter with the demon but as an angel of love she was in servitude to making sure love prevailed no matter what. She had learned from her previous mistakes not to cut love short and she swore she would be supportive of this no matter how it bothered her.

Regina was in love so she hadn't forced Emma into loving her. It was something natural and organic and in the cell, Mary had been able to hear how Regina's heart had screamed out for Emma even as Mary pummeled her. Mary had been in a rage then, had been ready to kill the demon with her own hands but after she'd spent her anger, after she had cooled down and talked with David, he reminded her of their shared purpose and so they would use the love in Regina's heart to make her good enough for their daughter.

"You were going to manipulate her?" Emma's earlier joy crashed down.

"We were going to...help her along the right path," David said reluctantly. "We were going to try and turn her against her mother so she could help us take down the Apocalypse."

"But we can't do that now."

"Manipulation is wrong. It's what demons do! You can't just force Regina to do what you want her to!" Emma angrily pointed out.

Mary shook her head sadly. "It's not evil if an angel does it, because angels always do things for good."

Emma felt like tearing her hair out. This fucking obsession with being good was driving her off the ledge! "Why does everything have to be so black and white with you two? Not everything is simple and clean cut like that! There are gray zones that we all reside in. I'm in a fucking gray zone! I wasn't a 'good person' for a long time but just because I'm an angel, or some fucking high and mighty savior, that makes it alright? I can kill people and still be worshiped for that? Why does everyone think I'm good?!" This shit was confusing Emma, making her head hurt. She couldn't grasp it, couldn't understand it ever since day one.

"Even Regina thinks I'm good. She tells me all my sins have been washed away because I'm in love. What kind of bullshit is that?" She began to pace the room, worked up, jaw angrily snapping. David and Mary got closer together, watching their daughter in worry, his hands on her shoulders in grounding touch.

"And you know what? I was the one who helped her escape- and not because she manipulated me into doing it. In fact, she didn't even want to leave! But I did it anyways because I couldn't stand to see her caged up and awaiting her death like some sort of animal. She deserves at least a fighting chance! Because when I came into that cage I saw her hurt and broken-"

At this Mary looked away guiltily.

"-and I was worried she would be killed or worse without even having a fair chance. So I let her go, because I am a fool in love and even if that love might not be returned fully, I can't let someone I love be kept in pain," Emma stopped pacing at last, gulping in deeply, trying to reign her temper in. "And if you say her heart has changed then that means she'll do good. She promised she would make things right by me." Emma thought back to the promise before Regina had drifted off into the night.

David shook his head mutely.

"Oh, Emma, you are silly for doing that," Mary said sadly, eyes lackluster. "Love can be blinding."

Emma was done of hearing them despoil Regina's name. "I-"

"Regina's back with Cora."

Emma's words died on her tongue. "What?" she croaked out.

"Our scouts sighted her. She's working with Cora to bring about the Apocalypse."

Emma sat down hard on her bed, her trust wavering once more.  _Regina, how could you do this?_


	20. In Over my Head

* * *

_Seven devils all around you, seven devils in my house_

_-Florence and the Machine, Seven Devils_

* * *

**A/N: Can't resist putting this in- if y'all want to get a good sense of dread in just how exactly Regina feels when Cora arrives, listen to Rok Nardin, The Devil. Basically what I think of as Cora's theme song in this story.**

The armor felt cold and stiff around Emma's body, like an unwelcome stranger hugging her. But she had to wear it, because she was finally going into battle. It would be her first mission, one the Charmings had deemed a necessity so that she could progress in her training and in her destiny as Savior of the known world.

She dreaded to do it, especially when her mind was such a mess. She couldn't believe Regina had betrayed her yet again, right after Emma had given her a second chance. Emma was angry and hurting to see the demon on the field so she could yell at her, let her true emotions be known. And something else that irked her was the fact that everyone and their mother claimed Regina was in love with her, yet the demon gave no indication of this. Why was she hiding this fact? Was she ashamed she was in love with Emma?

Or maybe the love had been a thing of the past?

All these doubts were making it hard for her to think about anything else but she forced them from her mind, and shook out her body which was jittering with nerves. She had never had to go smack dab into the middle of a war before. Regina had always done it for her. And now Regina was doing it against her.

"Ready, Emma?" David asked, looking regal and ready in his armor by her side.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Emma said, grimacing. The sword of Gabriel hung heavy in her hand and her grip was sweaty on it.

"Good. I want you to lead the charge."

Emma's head whipped to him so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. "Me?" and she hated how her voice squeaked but she couldn't do anything about it. "Why me?"

"Because it will bolster our forces to see you here. To see  _our_  hope here." He gave her a warm smile.

She nodded her head numbly, dreading this whole affair. She just wanted it to be over so she could go home and snuggle up under her covers and watch Netflix. But nooooooo, not the life for her apparently. She strode over to the head of the army of angels diligently waiting to be dropped from the heavens above, the cloud soft under their feet. They wore stunning golden armor that shone in the light and they all held spears or swords and shields.

All of their eyes swiveled to her as she got up in front of them and clearing her throat, she began to make a speech like she had been trained to. "Today is yet another day of battle, yet another day of bloodshed, it is also different. Today is the day we win more ground for our side. Today is the day we put the fear of god into these demons. Today is the day I shall lead you all. So onwards, to glory and for god!" She thrust her sword up into the air and listening to the roar of the army. She had totally bullshited that speech. She didn't in the least feel confident many of them would survive. Or that even she would.

But she was hoping to cross paths with Regina on the battlefield. That was the only thing keeping her going now.

The cloud opened up underneath them and the angels were deployed, spreading their wings as they dropped like rocks over the battle going on below. Emma opted to teleport to the ground after the first troop had arrived. She couldn't use her wings yet and she feared she never would. David waited up with her, smiling gently at her. "That was a good brief speech. I'm proud of you. Your mother would be too. I'll meet you down there as well." And then he dropped down as well, gliding more slowly through the air.

Emma swallowed harshly and steeled her nerves before poofing away in white smoke.

The moment she got there, it was chaos. Chaos everywhere. Screams ripping through the air, blood running thick, guts decorating the ground, and yup, looked like Emma was standing right on top of a pile of them. She moved away and tried to get a sense of her bearings but it was hard too. Everything was much too red. She didn't know where to start or to look or swing. The sword felt more comfortable in her hand due to practice with Graham but fighting him and fighting a demon were two separate things. Her army knew what they were doing thankfully, stabbing and slashing at any flesh they could , already five of them laid slain next to Emma's feet and she swallowed down the fear that rose in her throat.

There was a flash of red behind her and suddenly she was flying through the air and crashing into the side of a run down building. Her bones rattled at the impact and she let out a grunt of pain, having lost her hold on her weapon. Shit, where was it?

Graham had taught her a nifty spell on how to return the weapon to her hand but it sure as hell wasn't working now.

"Emma?" there was a surprised cry next to her and she jerked out, letting her hands light up with magic because that was the only defense she had now.

It was Robin.

Robin was in the middle of the demon angel war.

What the hell was he doing here? How was he even walking through this unscathed?

She got her answer a second later when a huge tentacle appeared out of nowhere and squashed the demon creeping up on him. An inky shadow slinked out from behind him and the building and Emma narrowed her eyes in recognition of that white updo.

"Ursula." She would never forget the demon that had nearly killed Regina. And if they were here to hurt Emma...well, shit. She wasn't going to stand a chance.

"What are you doing here?" Robin asked and he looked a mess. Clothes dirty, beard scruffy and face smudged up. Messy but alive.

"I could ask you the same," Emma retorted.

"I'm helping out the war effort. I'm killing demons."

Emma's brows lifted at that. "A demon killing demons? You can do that in contract?"

"Yes," Robin nodded his head but Ursula did not look pleased at all to have to do this. "And now, what are you doing here?"

"Uh, also fighting the war, but not doing a good job of it," she admitted.

"Best get out of the way then. I would hate to see you in the casualties," he said and then he and Ursula marched on, taking out three more demons before they disappeared into the crowd.

"Thanks for the advice," Emma rolled her eyes. She would if she could. She had to find her sword and her dad. She would feel much safer next to him. And she hated running to him like some scared little child, but hell yea she was one. Emma Swan could handle many things in her life and had with only herself and one other person by her side, but not this and not alone.

As she picked her way back towards the thick part of the battle, the ground shook under her feet and she felt a prickling sensation on the back of her neck. She swiftly turned around, hands flaring with magic once more while her gut was suffused with tonnes of dread.

"Where do you think you're going?"

* * *

With a cool and regal face Regina observed the chaos unraveling around her. Armies of demons and angels slaughtering each other, the ground covered in corpses and blood and the imprint of decay. Soon, things would become much worse if mother had her way, and with the captive soul in Regina's jar, it looked like mother  _would_  be having her way. So far Regina held a tight hold on it, telling mother she would only hand the jar over once the time had arrived. And so Regina bid her time while mother went over and tormented some angels.

In order to keep occupied she walked around the carnage with hands clasped behind her back, ducking when bodies went flying over her head, jumping over rolling heads and dismembered yet grasping limbs. The stench of fire and copper was ripe in her nose and where once the scent would have excited her into jumping straight into battle, now all it did was make her nauseous. Worried on what she had to do.

She shook her head. No, she wouldn't be nervous. She was the Evil Queen. She could do this. And she would.

"Regina!" a shout interrupted her and she swiveled on her heel to see who it was.

"Robin?" her brow furrowed up in confusion. What was the man doing here? His shirt was bloodied, his hair stood up oddly and his eyes were bright with adrenaline, but other than that he looked alive and well. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm helping out. Helping stop the apocalypse." He jerked his thumb back to where his demon Ursula was indiscriminately killing both angel and demon. He looked proud of this, like he was doing the world the biggest favor yet. Regina sighed and shook her head. "Why are you right in the middle of this? Go home. Run away. Don't take part in this."

"Why not?"

"This isn't our struggle. And Ursula cannot be trusted. She could turn on you too."

Robin didn't seem convinced at all. "It's fine. I've got everything handled. I just want to help this- want to help save people."

"Robin, there is no saving anyone," Regina hissed darkly, because what was he not understanding? This wasn't a matter for humans to stick their noses into. They always thought they were so invincible but they weren't. "Go home while you still can and let the big boys handle this."

He looked dejected at this, and like he would still very much like to argue but it was time for Regina to go. She could sense her mother had returned and that it would be time. She poofed away and came to a rest in front of her mother's throne. "Mother." She bowed her head. "How was your quest?" Cora had gone in search of something that she had to take care of before they could finalize the last stages of their plan- utilizing the soul in the jar to end the world.

"It was...fruitful," she said, smiling a sickening grin. "Now come, we are to conclude this silly farce of humanities existence." Together the two of them poofed away. Regina didn't know where the machine was- the machine where all the souls previously captured would go in and fuel the end of the world entirely. Regina didn't know much of her mother's plans as her mother was very tight lipped about everything. But hopefully now she would be able to find out. She hadn't even seen the supposed machine. Where was mother keeping it?

They teleported over to an emptier part of the city, one away from all the warring. Was the machine really so close? So under Regina's nose? Regina followed her mother a safe distance away while the woman's heels clicked along. She stopped in front of a van that was obstructing their way into a building.

"The jar." Cora demanded, holding out her hand and not looking backwards towards her daughter. Regina materialized it from her Vault and gave it to her mother. Mother snatched it out of her hands before dropping it onto the ground. It shattered, an agonized scream coming from the soul trapped there as it evaporated into the air, gone.

"Mother-" Regina was aghast- what the hell was going on?

"You think you can fool me? You really think I can't tell the difference between a common mortal soul and one of Emma's?" Cora rumbled and Regina took a worried gulp, stepping back, body tensed.

Shit.

"You think I don't know what this is? You've come back to sabotage me. To ruin my efforts." At this Cora slowly span on her heel, eyes blazing red. She was angry, very angry, but not as angry as if she had been totally blindsided. She snapped her fingers and the van doors flung open violently, revealing a huddled figure on the floor, bound.

"Emma!" Regina gasped out. Was her angel hurt? What had mother done to her?

Emma looked up, eyes shining with relief when she saw who had called for her.

"You were incompetent- failing in the one task I set for you to do. It took me a mere half hour to find her and capture her. And now her soul will be mine."

"No!" tore from Regina's throat, effectively ruining any last semblance of the facade she had going on.

"No?" Cora quirked up a coy brow.

"Y-you, you can't do that," Regina sputtered out, trying and failing to reason something.

"And why not?"

Regina didn't know what to say to that- how could she explain it- there was no way to do so.

Cora chuckled richly at her daughter's distress. She began to pace in front of the van and Regina eyed her warily. "I thought about how I should punish you. There is no end to how many delightful ways you can be killed. But-that would be boring. I wanted something more. Wanted to see you struggle vainly and like the idiot you are as you fought to get what you most covet."

Regina had a deep feeling of unease. She knew her mother loved games. Loved toying with people and letting them think they had a chance when in reality they didn't. She knew what was going to come up next.

"If you really want your precious Emma back, than fight for her," Cora said in a loud booming voice. " _Kill_ for her." She bared her teeth before laughing maniacally and poofing away in a cloud of red smoke, taking Emma with her. They reappeared several miles away, specks on top of a broken down building, the rubble on it serving as a makeshift throne for Cora. She sat there regally, legs crossed at the knee, while she had Emma kneeling by her, head hunched down and arms bound by yellow buzzing chains that debilitated her magic. She looked miserable, face taunt and pale. But no words would come from her lips no matter how she tried to scream and spit. Cora had seen to that.

Regina had a really bad feeling about this. Her skin was crawling with malignant energy; energy that wasn't hers. She was picking up several different signatures of demons and with a shiver that threatened to shake her to the core, she realized who they were.

The whole crew of the Queens of Darkness were coming; her mother had summoned the high court of the seven deadly sins.

Regina supposed it was only fitting, as she was a member of the court and so was her mother. Her mother was the one who actually commanded them, and they were here no doubt at her beck and call.

"You are going to send the sins on me, mother?" Regina can't help the betrayal taking root in her heart, that leeks into her voice into hurt tones. How could her own mother turn such horrid beasts against her, and for her own petty entertainment?

"You want Emma's soul to be yours to do with as you please," Cora hums lackadaisically, her voice ringing out crystal clear across the meters. She grabs Emma roughly up by the chin and stares her in the eye. "Then you will fight who I tell you to fight until I am satisfied. Until you win her soul back."

"And you will truly let her go if I fight and win against them all?" Regina is skeptical. Her mother is known for broken promises, among other broken things like hearts and hopes.

"Yes," Cora sighs as if this burdens her. "If you truly think that love, something that is a weakness, can triumph pure power such that hatred brings,  _and_  can provide you with a future, than be my guest." Her lips curl up in a lipsticked sneer.

Regina knows her mother is hiding something, but she doesn't know what, or have time to back out of it. Her mother has challenged her and she cannot turn that down. To do so would mean her automatic death. "Then I accept." Upon her words the ancient laws governing duels between demons activate. Red lines criss cross across the many miles of space between them, locking them into this ruined city that will no doubt be completely decimated by the end of this all. All other demons know to steer clear of this place least they wish to risk their lives, giving the battling sins no obstruction to go all out if they so wish to do so.

A breathless Robin arrives a second later in a cloud of black smoke, sweat creeping down his brow. Ursula follows behind him. "Regina," he calls out. She cringes and doesn't deign to even look at him. She doesn't have time for him. How did he even find her? She told him to go away.

"Go away Robin. This place will become a massacre soon. You will get caught and die."

"I'm here to help you."

"How touching," Regina snarls, thinking him a fool. His love for her will be his demise. He should know better and give up on her.

"No, well not me, exactly, but Ursula." He indicates to the pissed off woman next to him.

"I think not, lover boy," she snarls, turning on him, but he's faster than her.

"I order you to help aid Regina," he says, arms crossed over his chest. Ursula looks like she will literally explode, the way her skin turns purple in her anger and her eyes go wide, neck veins bulging. But she cannot fight the order no matter how strong of a demon she is. She trapped herself in a contract in order to find Regina and gain a soul in the exchange, and her lust for more will be the end of her.

Her hands shake as they stretch out to wring Robin's neck. He doesn't look anywhere nearly as confident and safe as before, stepping away from her, as she foams at the mouth, taking one labored step after the other to get to him. He looks on at Regina for help. "She's not complying!"

"I can see that," Regina says dryly, not impressed by his heroics. She begins to worry because Ursula seems to be fighting the order. It should be impossible! "Robin, quick, you need to do something! She's going to break through your command and kill you before she goes after me!"

Cora cries out from the other side unhelpfully. "That is right Ursula, my command overpowers that puny humans command. Kill him and then fight Regina. Take back the revenge and retribution you have lusted after for so long."

So that's why Ursula could resist his order: Cora's was stronger and it was overriding his.

"Fuck, shit," Robin cries out in panic, backing up against a broken wall. "Uh, if you listen to me, then I'll give you my soul by the end of the day instead of in twelve years."

"No, you fool!" Regina spits, but she cannot move to go to him, confined to the battlefield by the spell.

Ursula stops, and tilts her head in consideration. It's a deal she cannot resist, for she will be the sooner out of his control, along with a tasty snack of his soul roasted on the pyres of hell. "Very well, human. I'll take your soul."

Cora stands up from her seat. "Ursula, are you denying a request straight from me? The mother demon? Do you forget who sired you?"

"Yea, yea, mom," she rolled her eyes. "I know to whom my loyalty lies. But a contract is a contract, and a soul is a soul. Besides, have you too much faith in Regina that you think she's actually a threat? That she will survive even if I aid her?"

Cora contemplates this. "You are correct. Perhaps this will make things more interesting, you joining her side. But do keep in mind if you fail you die."

"I don't intend to fail," Ursula promises gravelly.

Cora then addresses Regina. "It seems you have an unlikely ally. You might have a chance of living past the first five seconds."

Regina curls up her lip in disgust but says nothing. She won't let her mother rile her up. That's what she does best; that's what she wants to do to Regina. Infuse her with rage and make Regina blind with it. Cora is after all the sin of wrath. She's the reason humans have gone to wars. She is as old as the conception of life on this world. Before humanity, and before her human form, she took that of animals, of dinosaurs, going around and causing strife among them as well. She feed off of anger; it made her strong and fueled her magics.

Regina couldn't let herself feel not even the smallest hint of anger. But that was easier said than done, for Emma was in Cora's clutches and it infuriated the demon to see the poor angel in her mother's hold. And she knew her mother was leeching off of the anger that radiated off of Regina's body.

The ground shook with tremors as finally all the rest of the sins gathered. Each of them arrived in their respective clouds of color. Cruella in black and white, Maleficent in green, Lady Tremaine in grey, and Gothel in a bruised blue.

"The court of Seven," Regina nodded her head respectfully to them. "How unpleasant to see you all again."

"Yes, I quite agree. It's always a horror to see your ugly faces," Gothel spoke, fluffing up her curly cloud of hair as she looked into a golden hand mirror. She tsked loudly as she saw something she disapproved off in her reflection. "The sight of everyone has already made a wrinkle appear!"

"Oh shut up," Lady Tremaine spat. "No one cares to hear your whining. You stress over your looks too much and that's what gives you wrinkles."

"Coming from a slob like you, your opinion is of little value," Gothel spat back.

"Children!" Cora roared out. "I did not call you here to squabble among yourselves like humans."

"Then why are we here?" Tremaine asked. "I had better things to do, like lounge all day on my chaise."

"Not all of us have such busy days like you," Cruella muttered out sarcastically.

"Yes. Well I also did have a nap scheduled in for today, and staring at the wall for three hours after," Tremaine said, missing the sarcasm.

A fire ball found it's way into the middle of the circle of women. Cora had launched it. "Will you all quit it, and listen?" Her face was turning red in anger and getting slightly inflated. It tended to do that when she got a specific type of angry.

"I did not miss this," Ursula whispered slyly out the side of her mouth to Regina. She was referring to not being able to have a normal meeting between all sins without either a fire ball getting thrown, or without biting rejoinders being shot at each other in equally deadly measure. "But, I did miss Ma's head exploding." Ursula remembered fondly how humorous it had been to rile up Cora. Her head would grow and grow in size until it was as big as a hot air balloon. It would wobble back and forth this way and that and she even ended up tripping over it once when she was chasing Ursula down the stairs when the woman had stolen from her makeup kit.

Regina felt a smile worm it's way up to her lips. She did remember that. The only good moments she had of her mother. Because when Cora's head got too big it exploded, spraying blood everywhere as her body slumped to the floor, immobile for a good day or two. And then they'd watch in fascination as her head would regrow itself from a small baby head with baby features and language skills and comprehension, until it matured to her proper head. And then Cora would punish them severely for what they did, but the laughter was always worth the pain.

"We know why you called us here," Maleficient spoke in her cool tones, effecting a calm over the demons with her commanding voice. "It is to kill the Evil Queen and the Sea Witch. We shall do as you ask." She struck the ground with her staff, sending a breeze fluttering outwards. "As the ancient ritual dictates, we must only fight one on one, starting with the lowest rank of the group in order to assure that the weak easily perish for there is no place for them in this world." Maleficient turned cold reptilian eyes on Regina and the brunette swallowed harshly, partially in shame.

"I hope that your love for that pathetic angel will be worth all this," she said coolly, eyes never leaving Regina's.

"It is," Regina said with conviction, chin or gaze never wavering.

Those words made contempt fill her features before she strode off to the side, leaving only Regina and Ursula on the middle of the field.

Cruella and Tremaine exchanged looks with one another. "What are you stalling for?" Snipped Tremaine. "Get out there."

"I'm not the weakest of the sins," Cruella snapped back, taking a puff of her cigarette. "You're the one whose too lazy to even go around collecting souls, which is the main purpose of being a demon!"

"At least I don't have some weird dog fetish."

"I only desire their furs!"

"You keep telling yourself that, but we all know what goes down in your circle of hell." Tremaine sticks up her nose.

"You leave my decor and home out of this!"

"Dalamation print everywhere. Not to mention that big three headed dog of yours. Bestiality much?"

"If you don't watch your tongue I will kill  _you_  instead of the Evil Queen and the Sea Witch!" Cruella spat.

"Dying's so much work," Tremaine groaned out. "Can't you leave it in for another day, when I feel like doing something?"

"Well, you clearly have the energy to argue, Tremaine, so I don't see why you can't fight," Gothel pointed out, finally tearing herself long enough from her hand mirror to notice that no battles had taken place yet.

Tremaine huffed out in annoyance but finally stepped out onto the field. "Very well, I'll take on Ursula, because she's standing closer to me."

"And I shall fare against the Evil Queen," Cruella concluded.

Finally, it would start. Regina wiped her sweaty hands on her pants. "Robin, you need to leave. Now."

The silent man didn't need to be told twice. The combined aura of all the demons was making his legs shake and his heart have weird palpitations. Still, his noble heart wouldn't allow him to completely vacate this area. He had to stay behind to make sure that Ursula followed his orders.

He snuck to one of the crumpled buildings away from the strike zone.

Cruella was the first to make a move. She flung off the spotted fur coat she wore, revealing a skimpy black strapless dress underneath. "I've never had any particular beef with you, Regina. But you did make a dumb decision to fall in love with an angel. And now I'm going to climb up in rank and take position of second strongest demon." She flicked the ash off of her cigarette.

"Aren't you afraid to face me? I am the second strongest. This conflict can be all avoided if you step aside." Regina didn't want to waste time fighting those she had come to think of as her dysfunctional and very homicidal and scary family. She wanted to go straight to Cora and wrest Emma away from her.

Cruella let out a cruel laugh. "And you wonder why no one fears you any longer. You don't want to fight? To kill? What is wrong with you." She threw her head back, roaring in laughter now. "Love  _does_  make you weak."

Regina grit her teeth. "I'll show you weak," she taunted and using super speed, she threw herself right at Cruella, throwing everything she had into her punch. Cruella stood where she was. Regina's fist connected with the pale skinned woman's cheekbones. The rubble around them lifted off of the ground a good two feet in the air before settling down. A purple bubble of pure power surrounded them, growing larger and larger by the second until it had grown big enough to cover a sixty mile radius. And then it erupted in a loud explosion. Anything that had stood in it's way had been erased and only in the middle of the new crater in the city stood the two woman. Cruella looked on at Regina, bored. Their clothing was untouched and hair neatly in place like they hadn't just been subjected to several tons of raw power. Smoke lazily curled up from Cruella's cigarette and she let out the puff of smoke she had inhaled prior to the punch out right into Regina's face disrespectfully.

Then with a slow hand, she used two fingers and pinched Regina's hand away distastefully. "Disgraceful."

Regina's brown eyes were wide. "But that- that should have knocked you to outer space."

"It didn't," Cruella gave a red lipsticked smile, all too reminiscent of Cora. "Looks like you've lost some of your powers."

Regina looked down in shock at her hands. They were shaking from fear.

Cora's laugh barely registered in her ears. "My dear, did you think when I said love was weakness that I was only saying it because I hate love? No, I said it because love to demons is like poison. It weakens your powers. A demon's powers rely on hatred and malice and hurting others. When you fall in love, a magic of the purest kind, then your heart is put under a spell and you no longer wish to do any of the things that fueled your powers. Should a demon cease to kill, to garner souls, then they cease to be a demon. And the higher and more powerful in the chain of command, the harder you fall when you fail to do so." Cora's voice was so smug that it could smother someone.

"That's why I took Daniel's heart away. Because he was weakening as a demon and it was the only way I could save him. I didn't want to take your heart because you were my child. I had thought you would see reason, would stop being naive. But I see my assumption was wrong. I placed too much faith in you."

"I...I refuse to believe that," Regina said shakily. She couldn't have weakened, she couldn't! But even as she denied it she knew it was true. She hadn't been feeling herself lately.

"Then be my guest and try it out. Cruella?"

The two tone haired demon smiled. "With pleasure." Her sickening grin stretched as she transformed into her second form. Her skin turned a nasty shade of green as her joints popped and extended. Her dress melded to her skin, turning leathery and growing spikes. Within seconds a goblin-like creature was standing in front of Regina, cheekbones so sharp that they were like a blade, and ready to cut. Smoke curled out of Cruella's nostrils and the two stumpy horns on her forehead. Her arms were the length of a car as were her legs; limbs thin like twigs and decorated with long sharp dirty nails.

"Shit," was all Regina could utter out as she looked up at the now 10 foot monster in front of her before Cruella flicked her hard on the nose and sent Regina flying.

Regina flew as fast as a bullet train, crashing through several buildings on her way. They all collapsed after she had passed through them in great clouds of dust. She only finally slowed down when she'd hit the tenth building in a row. It fell apart on top of her, burying her under several tons of weight.

"That was too easy," Cruella muttered out in disdain as she watched the dust settle over the steel girders and concrete slabs and glass covering Regina under several feet of debris.

A voiceless cry of "Regina!" exited Emma's throat, as tears pricked at her eyes. She moved to go to her feet but Cora pulled her back by the collar and Emma fell back onto her bottom where she was forced to stay down by magic.

"Should we call the battle off?"

"I suppose so, Cruella." Cora's eyes glittered in evil glee.

Tremaine let out a disgusted scoff. "I came out all the way here for no reason then."

"I can still fight you, if you'd like." Ursula offered.

"There is no need," Tremaine sniffed. "I'm already tired out by journeying to the human world."

"Pity."

A giant rumble came from the collapsed building. Cruella's features lit up in delight. "Oh, so the kitty can still bite?" They all watched as slowly by slowly a huge chunk of the building was picked up. Underneath it, Regina rose to her trembling feet, arms straining under her burden. Her eyes had gone dark red, glowing like two pinpoints of lasers. The rest of her was a mess. Business suit jacket ripped, shirt hanging open, pantyhose having a tear running down it, and heels broken. She tossed the building part aside and dusted off her hands, though to dust off the rest of her body would be too much effort now.

Emma felt her lips tremble in hope. Regina was okay, she was alive!

"I'm back, bitches," and then she too turned into her second form.

Emma had only caught a glimpse of it before back when Regina had been fighting Ursula on the island. But then it had been covered in blood and Emma had been too distracted on healing the woman to take stock of it. Now, she could see it unabashedly. Regina looked truly terrifying and majestic in it, nothing like the corrupted form of Cruella. Her gold crown shone in the light, the leathers of her outfit clung to her beatific curves; she was royalty, her presence on the field demanding respect and attention. She opened up a mini portal somewhere, pulling out a hefty looking sword.

Regina knew modern weapons wouldn't work on demons. Only weapons of old like the sword Exacaliber, one she had stolen from King Arthur after his adventures were over, or cursed artifacts, like vases containing malignant spirits, would work. Good thing she had a whole Vault filled with them.

"That little toothpick of yours doesn't scare me," Cruella laughed. "But it will do well to clean the teeth of my pets after they finish playing fetch with your dead carcass." The asphalt under her bubbled up and screamed with the bray of dogs gone mad. Regina tensed.

Cruella had control over the hounds of hell, and she was bringing them up. They were notorious beasts, relentless in their chase to bring down their prey. Many a human had lost their life to them. As did demons who crossed Cruella.

They melted up from the asphalt, eyes glowing red and teeth snapping as their forms wavered in place, shifting and coalescing like sticky wet tar. A pack of six stared down Regina, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Escaping one was a challenge fit for the gods. Now there were six of them.

Regina swallowed harshly and steadying the trembling of her hand, lifted her sword up in front of her.

* * *

Ursula tore her eyes from Regina's fight, knowing the woman was going to have a hell of a time facing Cruella's starved pets. The woman never did feed them, which only made them all the more vicious when it came time to hunt down opponents.

"So, shall we begin?" the Sea Witch asked Tremaine who had stood there yawning. Her eyes were dropping closed already. The two of them stood a good distance away from the other fight in a part of the city that still looked livable.

It wouldn't remain that way for long.

"I suppose," the woman stated. For appearances sake, the demon looked like any regular mortal. Wearing a regular dressing gown and hair done up in a bun. She even looked fragile and weak to complete the act. Ursula knew better. Tremaine's laziness made her slick, made her have many tricks up her sleeves. The Sea Witch would have to be careful to keep an open eye. "But I think I may just take my nap now." She pulled out a pouch from her pocket and spilled the ash contents onto the floor. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, you are one servant I do trust. Rid the earth of the witch, before she makes you her bitch."

The ash at her feet swirled up and up like it was caught in a mini mad twister before it began to take on a form, one that Ursula recognized. "Nice, you turned Cindy here into a monster made of Cinders. Nice poetic touch with that. You truly are an Evil Stepmother. Couldn't stand to see her have a happy future with her Prince Philip."

Tremaine flicked her wrist. "I do what I can to keep  _my_  daughters happy." She summoned up a bed off to the side and crawled right into it with absolutely no regard for the battle that she was vacating.

Cinderella, now fully formed, opened her mouth out in a roar, her breath stinking of sulfur. She was a creature made entirely of ash and smoke and fire. The scent of her drifted across the air and assaulted Ursula's nose. She hated dealing with things made of fire. It did not mix well with water. No matter, she would wash the competition away.

With a snap of her fingers, the fire hydrants on the street exploded and flooded the street to even the playing field a bit. Ursula began to manipulate the water spilling forth with small movements of her fingers. "It's a shame a pretty girl like you had to become this monster, but I'll wash the slate clean between the two of us."

She threw a jet of water at Cinderella who ducked out of the way but barely in time. She was slow and a bit dim it seemed. She would prove to be no match for Ursula.

As Cinderella stumbled through the soaked street, roaring as if by sheer volume of voice she could defeat Ursula, the Sea Witch used several jets of water to slow her down. Each jet that went through her, reduced the size of Cindy, taking out chunks of her that just wouldn't reform.

By the time she had finally made it to Ursula, she was her height and looking a bit like Swiss Cheese. Her eyes upturned in pleading when the Sea Witch raised a threatening orb of water over her head. She paused and looked up at it and then at Ursula. In her eyes the last vestiges of the human soul of Cinderella were held. "Help me, free me from this torment," they said. Ursula didn't care. She wasn't here to play hero. The demon dropped it onto her head and that was the end of that fight.

The remains of Cindy's form floated on top of the water, before they soaked up with water and sank. "That was disappointing," Ursula said out loud. Calling out to Tremaine, she said: "Is that the best you've got?"

Irritated that Ursula was cutting into her time of rest, she waved a lazy hand from under her covers and this time a demon dropped down from a portal in the sky. By the looks of it, he was still lesser than Ursula, and Cindy's long lost love. "So, you got Prince Philip's soul too. Damn, are you really petty."

"I needed servants in my new domain," Tremaine groused sleepily. "Who better than a former prince and princess that had ruined my happiness?"

Prince Phillip was made of something more substantial than Cindy. He was 20ft of solid granite rock, sword of stone held in his hand, and shield of marble in his other. Every movement of his sounded like grating rocks and it pissed Ursula off to hear that. She much preferred the sounds of splashing waves as children drowned in her watery depths, or of raging sea typhoons as they swallowed up screaming humans.

She used the water sloshing on the street to form her own mimicry of a sword and shield. "Let's see what's stronger: rock or water?"

This servant might take more than a minute to defeat. Her predictions were correct. After two minutes of sword play ( for it was no sweat off her brow) she had him reduced to a pile of rubble at her feet.

"If you insist on killing all my servants, than who will clean my circle of hell? Do you know how much work it is to find replacements?" Tremaine hissed.

"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Ursula tsked playfully. "Maybe if you actually gave me a challenge, you could sleep uninterrupted.

Tremaine grit her teeth. "Fine." A dark swirling shadow descended from the same portal in the sky, dropping down to the earth with a tremendous shake.

"I can't believe you got that bad kitty collared," Ursula whistled in appreciation as she took the new adversary in, calculating his possible weaknesses and strength already.

The form hulked over her, thirty feet of pure muscle. Heat radiated off of him in waves, evaporating the water around him and making Ursula's skin sizzle. She felt like she was about to become cooked calamari.

In front of her stood none other than Lucifer.

..

The cat.

..

* * *

Slash and duck. Slash and run. Slash and block.

Regina was running on pure instinct as she combated the six hell-hounds sent after her. They brayed nonstop, making chills run down her back, as they flickered in and out of the shadows, making it hard for the demon to land a solid blow on them. And it wasn't like she could even teleport away because due to some ancient magics they commanded, no demon could use teleportation to escape them, ensuring that the reputation of hell hounds making escape hard stayed true.

She fucking hated these infuriating beasts. And Cruella's laughter did nothing to help her frustrations. She needed to lead them into a trap. It was the only way to get rid of them truly.

If they were made of shadow...then they couldn't exist where there was no light. She quickly canted to the right towards a building that was still standing up, rushing down to the basement. There, now they wouldn't be able to exist here. She knew it wasn't a permanent solution to her issue but it would give her a moment to breath and think of a better way out of this problem.

A cloud of black and white smoke filled the room as Cruella appeared. "You aren't the brightest, are you? Seems the angel has muddled more than your powers."

Regina spun towards her, sword in front.

"My hounds are shadow beings, but they don't cease to exist because of a lack of light. They only get stronger in the dark. They  _are_  the dark."

 _Well fuck me_ , Regina thought as six pairs of huge glowing eyes decorated the walls of the room, all of them trained on her. Then, they lunged.

It turned out the legendary sword of Excalibur was pure trash. At least on hell-hounds whose hides were tougher than diamond and whose teeth were just as strong. Her sword broke on one's back before it was ripped out of her hand by another. The third one sank it's teeth into her calf, the fourth one bit her sword arm, the fifth went for her back, raking it's claws down it painfully, and the last one dug it's teeth into her gut, finding her entrails and pulling them out like a chew toy.

And she couldn't tell where one of these beasts ended and where the other began.

She was stuck.


	21. Part Two-Turn it all Around

* * *

_Turning into a monster, right before your eyes_

_-Beth Crowley, Monster-_

* * *

There was only one way to salvage this situation. And that was to go into her first form. She closed her eyes and let the magic inside her expand. Her shoulders shook as her skin peeled away to reveal dark brown underneath it. She rose twenty feet, then thirty until she burst through the room she was in, growing and growing, the skyscraper sliding off of her and crumpling to the dust below like that had been the skin she had shed.

She was so tall now that she could see the clouds floating mere inches from above her head, buildings only reaching up to her waist. The hounds were no longer attacking her, only nipping at her heels like small bugs. She picked up one of her feet and squashed them all under it, wiping off the residue on the floor next to her. But even as she wiped them off, she could see them reforming already. If they thrived in the shadows and were made of shadows, than light could be their downfall. They had been stronger in the dark after all.

She summoned up a cage of pure fire in her hand; no demon could do light magic, but fire was as close as she could get to it. Then she scooped them up and placed them into the cage as they snapped and snarled at her fingers. That would hopefully do the trick for now, for while they could be held off, no one could ever escape them, and Regina would have to deal with them another way later. If not they would trail her for all eternity or until she died; whichever came first, and knowing the dogs, it would not be eternity.

She set the flaming sphere on top of the lightning rod of a nearby structure.

But she was no longer worried about them, only of what Emma would think of her form. She ducked down behind a block of buildings, using them for cover. "Emma, look away," she said, her voice booming and low and rough like bark scrapping on dirt. "I don't want you to see me like this."

"Afraid she'll see you for who you truly are and leave you?" Cora taunted, her words stabbing right into Regina's heart and feeding her insecurities.

Regina peered around the corner and saw Emma there, face grim but eyes honest. "I want to see all of you," she mouthed. "I'm not afraid." A pause. "I love all of you."

"Shut up, you," Cora snarled noticing what Emma was doing and smacking her in the mouth hard with her ring heavy hand.

Emma hit the floor, lips and gum bleeding where the rings had struck her.

"Emma!" Regina roared, coming out of hiding. Emma said she wouldn't hate her, wasn't afraid to see all sides of her, so she'd believe her.

Regina didn't have time to worry about that; she had to save her angel.

Emma sat up and with wide eyes took in Regina's new form.

Regina was now a massive creature that reminded Emma a lot of the fictional character Groot. Her skin was brown, leathery and barky, outgrowths of the weird skin forming sharp ends on her elbows, chin, and fingers. She had no nose, except for two holes where it should be, situated above a mouth full of sharp long teeth that went past the confines of her mouth and reached up and down past her jaw. Her eyes were red and set deep into her face, the ears on the sides of her head red and shaped like an elves might be. On her head was a set of massive horns that curled back. They looked heavy and ornate, gleaming in the sunlight with their black tones.

Emma found Regina's form not to be terrifying though she knew it was meant to be, and it would be for many upon many. But to her, it was comforting. How it should be.

She smiled softly at Regina to let her know wordlessly she approved.

It was hard to read Regina's features while she was like this, but her eyes relaxed from their narrowed squint so Emma took that as a good sign. "Go get them," she mouthed and Regina nodded her head, turning back to face Cruella.

The goblin like woman looked up at her now decidedly more sizable opponent and decided a change of form was needed.

She began to bubble out, skin extending comically from her skeleton as she grew, turning even greener. Her form was disturbing and it was disgusting. It could best be likened to a frog that had been dunked into a vat of radioactive fluids before being mashed flat with a hammer and hastily repaired by some drunk pottery maker.

She was misshapen and glowing a toxic green, rife with postulates that oozed blood and pus and something else that Emma didn't want to think about. And the smell that came off of her, made Emma's eyes water, her reflex react, and her stomach tense in pain. She covered her mouth and nose but it did little.

"Regina," the demon ribbeted and then launched her long tongue out at the woman. Regina caught it in her hands and tugged on it, not willing it to come back into the safety of Cruella's mouth. She was going to rip it out! And so started the biggest game of tug of war Emma had ever seen.

* * *

The city was in upheaval as the angel army lay waste to the demons that had crawled through the fissures in the earth. Hundreds of them were useless, just low level minions, but there were some that were stronger, commanding the lower levels to their aid. More angels had thus been summoned as reinforcements, David's wife one of them. Mary Margaret had already taken down three of those and David had taken down two. They were busy fighting to protect the humans, but they did have time to be concerned over their newly found daughter.

"Do you think perhaps we rushed things a bit?" Mary Margaret asked over the din of slashing swords, grunts of exertion from the angels, and the screams of demons.

"What do you mean?" David asked as he slung his battleaxe downwards, spraying acidic blood onto his shirt front but cleanly cutting off the monsters head in one fell swoop.

"We just got our daughter back and we had to tell her of her great destiny before giving her the Sword of Gabriel and sending her out onto the field to slay demons. Do you think she might have been overwhelmed by all that?" Mary shot an arrow into the eye of a demon that had hobbled over to her before she jumped up and kicked it hard in the head with her reinforced steel boots. It stumbled back and David was behind it, driving the sharp handle of his ax into the beast's back right to it's blackened heart. It roared in pain before disintegrating much like it's other slayed brethren.

"I think she'll be fine, Mary. She's a tough woman. She's braved the human world by herself for so long, and even withheld having a demon by her side, tempting her to sin all these years. I'm sure she can handle saving the world from the apocalypse." His eyes sparked with memory. "Remember us, all those millennia ago? Remember  _our_  first apocalypse?" He strapped his weapon to his back and took Snow by the hands, slow dancing with her a bit beside corpses. "We were scared and lost, and didn't know what we were doing. But we knew we could trust each other."

"I remember," Mary grinned up at him, feeling her heart grow warm. They had met on the battlefield, after she had saved his life from some demon, laying waste to it with a nicely timed arrow.

"You ought to be careful, pretty boy," she said cockily, pulling him up from the ground. "I'd hate to see a face like yours ruined."

And not ten second's later he had saved hers. "And I'd be careful if I were you, of being too proud of your skills," he had said as he pushed Mary to the side and lodged his blade into the skull of a demon that had snuck up behind her without her awareness. "I heard it's a sin," he said with a shit eating grin.

Mary smiled up at him from where she was on the floor, waiting for his hand to pull her up.

"Well then, good thing I have you to keep me level headed."

"And good thing I have you keeping my pretty face from being smashed," he added, pulling her up, and it was decided. From then on they had fought the battle together and stayed friends after, their friendship slowly budding into something else.

"Emma might be scared," Mary Margaret murmured, back in the present. "But she has Regina on her side, misguided as the demon is right now, like you had me." Mary's face twisted up on the fact that they had to rely on a demon to help Emma, but discussing an inter-species relationship would come later, after the battle was done.

"Exactly," David kissed Mary softly and the demons that had been trying to sneak up on them and circle them in, were obliterated by the burst of pure magic that erupted from the couple by their kiss. The demons were washed away in white light as if they had never been there.

"Come, let's keep the demon army away from Emma, while she fights her fight," Mary said. She knew the council of seven had arrived, but she had faith in her daughter that she would be able to stop them, or at least banish them, despite Emma still being new to her powers.

Because Good always won.

* * *

"Hey, Regina, I could use some help over here," Ursula shouted out to the now giant demon. "Tremaine is pulling out pest after pest and I happen to be on land, where my water powers suck ass."

"I'm a bit busy over here," Regina grunted out as she started slapping at Cruella's very flexible and insistent tongue that kept coming at her.

"Just send me something over from your Vault and I'll be fine."

"There's no way I'm allowing you to have something from my Vault," Regina shot back. "That's my stuff!" The stuff in there was her's. She had envied people of it, had coveted, and then had finally killed for it. "My shiny!" she stressed.

"No need to be so territorial. I'll give it back to you. I am helping you here after all, against my own will might I add," Ursula grunted out and went into a roll to avoid Lucifer's swiping claws. What the hell was Tremaine feeding that cat. He was like a humanoid cat thing, but on steroids, muscles big but head teeny tiny. He was more jacked than body builders. Ursula had captured a few of their souls after they od'd on steroids.

"Me-ow," he cried out in a deeply disturbing masculine voice. Then he swiped at her again, dagger like claws swiping a few centimeters off the top of her do. Damn cat was fast.

"I'd even be happy if perhaps you had some cat nip or something. Really, a midge of something to help me would be enough." Any time she'd tried to use water from the fire hydrants here, or some water pipes, he had evaporated it away. Water was her element, yes, but salt water was her element  _element_. Comparatively using fresh water for Ursula was liked using a butter knife to saw a log. She could do it, and she would be damned good at making it work, but it wasn't ideal. Salt water in her hands was like dropping a missile onto the fucking log. Way more bad-ass and effective.

Unfortunately, she was on land and far away from the ocean. Poofing over there and bringing back water wouldn't help, because the ancient rites of the rituals prevented any of the demons from poofing past the lines of the battlefield.

So she needed a real weapon to aid her. Her hands were only so good at ripping into things as long as they couldn't rip right back into her.

"As if I collect such useless things. Why don't you just seduce him? You do that to all your victims."

"I only seduce those things I want seduced. I don't want this damn cat hanging all over me!" Her face turned into one of disgust as the cat inhaled deeply and than spat a hair ball at her. A flaming hairball. "And now he's retching hair on me!"

"Not my issue," Regina grunted out as she knocked over two buildings in her fall, crushing a whole block under her. She moved her head to the side to avoid getting a good tongue lashing from Cruella. "Watch it," she warned the frog. "I only let Emma do that to me." Then she got back up to her feet and opened up her portal, reaching blindly in and throwing something at Ursula. "Here, take this and shut up."

The object impaled itself a mere inch from Ursula's head. "You might need to work on your aim. You almost got me!" Then she saw what the object was. "Is that  _the trident_? I thought you destroyed it!"

"Oops," Regina shrugged uncaring before punching Cruella in her fleshy throat.

"That woman-!" Ursula trailed off in anger, grabbing the weapon and letting it's power flow into her. At least she had it now; she'd get Regina back for lying to her and hoarding it from her later. Already she could feel her resolve refreshing, could feel the energy and magic flowing into her limbs. "Prepare to take a bath, cat," she sang at it and then summoned up a giant tsunami wave behind her out of thin air.

The cat watched as the wall of water got larger. His whiskers quivered in fear. "Me-ow?"

Then she slammed the trident butt down and the wall collapsed over him, washing him away in sea green foam back to the portal he had come through. "Me-ouch!" his cries were small as he disappeared for good.

"Come on, get up Tremaine," Ursula kicked the demon's bed, trying to wake her. "It's rude to sleep when you have guests over."

When the woman still did not wake, Ursula stabbed her right in the back with the Trident. Tremaine sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, weapon still sticking out casually from her flesh. "Couldn't you have given me another hour?" She got up, removing her sleeping cap and robe, jerking out the trident in her and looking at it in distaste before tossing it to the side.

"No, your highness of sloth, I could not. I still have another numskull after you to fight and I wish to be over with this so I can feast on Robin's soul and be free of my contract." Ursula called the weapon back to her hand.

"Very well, if only I can go back to my pleasant dreams about tormenting humans, I will fight you so this may be over soon." Tremaine magicked her bed away and lifted her hands up. The very earth they stood on began to tremble.

Right, she had the power to manipulate the very earth itself.

Good thing Ursula had the trident to help her out because this fight was going to get real ugly.

Real fast.

* * *

Cruella had managed to finally wrap her slimy appendage around Regina's waist and by putting her back into it, she began to spin the other demon around in the air, circling her high through the clouds. Regina tried to free herself from the tight hold on her waist, clawing at it until it bleed as she picked up speed. But the tongue would only regenerate as fast as it was cut. She roared out in frustration and summoned up a fireball into her hands but didn't get a chance to use it as she was unceremoniously let go. She went sailing and landed right into the lake just outside the outskirts of the city. Water flooded over the edges of the lake, the rest raining down in a light spray, until half of the body of water had disappeared. Regina got up, wobbling unsteadily on her feet, trying to get her bearings.

Cruella opened up her mouth to draw her tongue back in, and to power up a bolt of green light that came in deep from inside her. It aimed true and struck the whole of Regina's being, enveloping her in a green mist. Regina let out a gurgled cry and dropped to her knees, shaking all over. That damn frog had poisoned her!

The green mist stayed floating around her, sinking into her skin, muddling up her head. She couldn't see straight and everything was tinted green. Her body burned and ached and all she wanted to do was sleep.

She landed face down in the water, weak. She had to fight this. She knew she could.

"What's wrong? You're looking a bit green," Cruella's voice swam in Regina's ears and she opened her eyes to see the woman had reverted into her second form. And then the other demon kicked Regina right in the face. Regina snarled in pain and got up, clutching the spot where two of her teeth had once been. Cruella only giggled in cruel amusement and took the two fallen teeth and drove them into the tops of both of Regina's feet, pinning her to the lake bottom.

Then, happy that Regina wouldn't be going anywhere soon, she leapt up the woman's barky body and began to kick and punch at her. It was much like fighting a fly, Regina thought groggily. A fly that could kill you. She ripped a hand free painfully and swatted at Cruella trying to get a hit on her, but she always missed, slapping herself instead in various spots over her body. Cruella was too fast for Regina's massive and slowed down limbs. Once Regina even ended up punching herself right in the jaw, spittle flying out.

This was seriously pissing her off!

To an outsider, it looked like Regina was fighting herself, because she was indeed doing just that. Cruella's poison was making her hallucinate and whereas Regina thought she was fighting Cruella, she really was only fighting herself. And there was no way to snap her out of this. Cruella was doing her croaky impression of laughter as she watched. All the other demons were laughing as well, Cora throwing her head back in amusement, Gothel snickering into the reflection of the fight in her hand mirror. Only Maleficent stood solemn, eyes ahead and not on the fight.

"Are you not amused, Maleficent?" Cora asked.

"Why should? If Cruella succeeds in killing Regina, then I will miss out on my chance to fight her. I had been eagerly awaiting it."

"Ah, that is quite a shame. Gothel could always reanimate her corpse for you, and you could have a go at it," Cora offered.

"That is not the same," Maleficent was ardent. "I wanted a challenge."

"Either way, she possess no challenge now," Gothel spoke. "Have you not seen how miserably weak she has gotten? Or see all those wrinkles by her eyes. She's going to have crow's feet. No one wants to deal with a woman with crow's feet."

Maleficent said nothing to that, just tightened her hold on her magic staff.

Emma watched as Regina fought herself, hoping there was some way she could reach the other woman. That she could somehow tell her this wasn't true at all. That she was only imagining things. But her words were silenced and her body bound and she had no way to help.

Instead she could only watch as Regina dropped down to her knees, bleeding from wounds she had given herself. Her blood was magma, slowly dripped down and sizzling when it fell into the lake.

In Regina's mind, Cruella had just brought her down to her knees, and by knocking out more of Regina's teeth, had used those to pin the tops of Regina's hands down again more securely. So now Regina's motions were even more limited.

"Love will be your downfall."

"Love will be my downfall," Regina repeated halfheartedly, resigned to it.

"You might as well rip out your heart and hand it over to mother for all the good it has done you."

"I'll rip out my heart..." she winced through the thick fog enveloping her mind. Her fingers twitched to dig deep into her chest but she didn't move them. She had to fight this. She didn't know why she had to fight Cruella's sensible orders, but she had to. For someone's sake, if not her own.

"Don't try to resist. You are weak. You cannot even destroy me in your first form."

The voice was right.

Here Regina was in her first form and she could barely combat Cruella's secondary form. How far had she fallen? How weak had she gotten?

She didn't know if she could do it any longer. She had thought the strength of her love for Emma would be enough to fuel her weary limbs. But that had been when Regina still thought she was the second strongest sin. Now, she wasn't so sure.

"Don't give up Regina!" Robin's voice echoed from where he stood on top of a building, having watched the fight thus far, forgotten by everyone. "Love isn't weaknesses. It's a strength. My love for you drove me to new places and to do crazy things all because I wanted to find a way to reach you. And so will your love for Emma help you reach her."

Regina shook her head, speaking through blood encrusted lips. "I don't know. I don't have my powers. My demonic abilities have waned..."

"Who is that human?" Cora hissed in irritation. "He's disrupting the battle."

"I do not know," Gothel shrugged. "If he were younger and more handsome I would surely know but he's too average for me."

"He must be Ursula's contracted human," Maleficent said sagely. "His balls are brazen for a human, if he's been able to watch us demons fight."

"He won't be watching for longer," Cora snarled and let a fireball flare to life in her hand.

Robin powered on with his speech, cupping his hands around his mouth so Regina could hear him better. He shouldn't have worried; she had super hearing. "Love often gives you strengths where you least expect them. Maybe you don't need your demon powers anymore."

That's right...love was a magic of it's own. Regina had been trying to fight it this whole time, had tried to fight the fact that she was desperately in love with Emma. Everyone knew she was; she was the only one who hadn't said it out loud, who hadn't let the feelings pass through the guarded chambers of her heart.

"I love her," she said softly, tasting how the words felt on her tongue. They were sweet and light.

"I love her," she said a bit louder, rising to her feet. Suddenly the fog on her mind seemed less strong and her body no longer pinned to the floor.

Cora flung a fireball at Robin and he ducked down barely missing it. It singed his beard on one side but he ignored the smell of burnt hair. "Say it, Regina. Say it loud and proud." He waved his hands like a conductor trying to force a crescendo out of his orchestra. He jumped onto another rooftop as the one he stood on erupted into flames when Cora threw a barrage of fireballs at him.

"I love her," she picked up her gaze to where Cruella was; she hadn't been in her second form but in her first. She looked past her, to her mother.

"I love her," a shout. She watched her mother's face twist in disgust.

"I love her!" a scream, ripping right from her gut. Painful in its honesty. She could feel the chains around her heart dissolving.

She made eye contact with Emma, whose eyes were wide and wet with tears. "I love you, Emma Swan, with all of my sinful and blackened heart!" A declaration of freedom.

Finally,  _finally._ This is what Emma had been waiting for, wanting for. Regina's honest love.

A warm tingling filled Regina's body. Each utterance brought warmth and strength into her bones and weary limbs, refreshing her.

"No," Cora stood up aghast, forgetting about Robin. "How...how is this possible?! A demon using love magic!"

Regina let magic flare to life on her palm. Her dark purple mixed in with the white of love. Together they made pink.

She had no clue what the hell she could do with her new powers, but she wasn't just going to stand around and wait to find out. She shrunk down to her human form. She was a mess in it but now wasn't the time for appearances; what mattered was that she had thrown off Cruella's poison and was now feeling refreshed and ready to take on anything. She poofed herself to where Cruella stood on her tiny frog legs, too small for her massive body.

"I must admit I had forgotten about your toxins. Is that a new one you've been working on?"

Cruella looked on uncertainly at Regina, backing up like the woman was a bad disease. She had never encountered a demon that could use love magic and she didn't know what that entailed. She was wary of coming into contact with Regina least the love rub off on her skin.

"What? Scared?" Regina said, baring her teeth. "I won't hurt you. I'm just hungry for some frog legs." And fire flared to life on her hands.

Cruella did what she always did with most of her problems. "Not if I eat you first."

And with one flick of her long tongue, she had swallowed Regina up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: With the reveal of Regina's true form comes the reveal of her true feelings for Emma. About damn time.


	22. Part Two- It's Too Late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Warnings for gore once more. Let's just stick that warning for the next four chapters.

* * *

_Welcome to the devil's playground/_ _You can tread where demons play/ It's your Candyland where dreamers dance/ And I promise that it's safe_

_-Welcome to the devil's playground, The Rigs-_

* * *

Emma's jaw hung open. Just when she had thought that Regina would win...after all, she had finally confessed her true love to Emma and in movies when that happened it meant the good guys would finally win. True, Regina wasn't the typical good guy, more like an anti-hero, but still! Just when Emma thought Regina had the upper hand, she'd be beat down into the ground, or freaken swallowed up, like Cruella had just done to her.

"I hope she gets indigestion," Emma voicelessly snarked out, knowing no one could hear her. She really hoped that Regina would find her way out of this. So far, whenever it seemed like one side or the other had too much of an advantage something would happen to even the scores. She hoped that would be the case now, and that Regina would burst out of Cruella's stomach, ripping right through it with the demon's heart or something.

Meanwhile, Regina had slid down the length of Cruella's throat like some disgusting version of a water slide until she had been deposited in the woman's stomach, a cesspool of all the things the woman had ever eaten. Regina covered her nose with one hand and tried to make her way through the green acidic pool of fluids, ignoring the numbing feeling that the action brought as everything from the waist down was eaten through by the acids. Souls of the damned floated around clinging to her and forcing her to shake them off. Floating along with them were street lampposts, cars, tanks, statues of Stalin, and other human artifacts. She even found a condom floating around.

She really didn't want to know how that got here.

She made sure not to touch any of the ribbed walls because she knew they were coated with poison and there was no way she wanted to go on another acid trip like the one she had just been on. She would be fine as long as she found a way out of here, being swallowed whole barely fazing Regina. She had been in worse situations before.

Once she got out of the pool, she found herself staring into the entrance of the cave that was Cruella's small intestine. A breeze flew in and out of it that smelled of shit but figuring it was her only way out, Regina went through to it, wobbling on skeletal legs that were already beginning to regenerate, starting with veins and then raw muscle before her tan skin covered them once more.

The smell here was so bad that she decided to rip off her own nose just so she wouldn't go mad from smelling it. The walls here were slimy with something darker and other than acid. It wouldn't be poisonous but there was no way Regina was going to touch the stuff.

As she stumbled through the cave, wondering if Emma was alright, she began to see pinpoints of bright light ahead of her.  _The fuck-?_  she thought and as the cavern widened out, she found herself in a miniature world of sorts.

Cruella has a whole medieval city living in her stomach? What?  _She's really done a lot since I've left for the human world._  Regina craned her neck up to take in the battlements of the castles and of some dragons flying around in the city above, a sky that shone with bio-luminescent internal light. A light that was slightly red due to the veiny sky. Villagers walked around, and talked to each other, selling goods. It really was a whole ass city- a functioning city. Had Cruella swallowed a whole village? Or was this something her body had constructed?

Regina had many questions but shelved them away for later. She had an angel to save, and demons to fight.

As she stepped down the stone path to get closer to them, the villagers noticed her, pausing in their daily going on of life

Immediately a group of knights came rushing out of the entrance of the castle to her right. "Mistress Cruella wants that contagion quarantined and destroyed before it can spread any further! White Blood Cells and Anti-bodies with me!" Yelled the man who was their commander. The knights behind him roared and rattled their swords and shields, locking eyes with thirst for battle on her.

"This just keeps getting better and better," Regina muttered out to herself. She opened up a portal to her Vault, pulling out Majhor, Thor's legendary weapon. Then she faced them down with a weariness, already over Cruella's marvel of creating a whole town inside herself.

After the fifth dragon had come after her, Regina decided fighting her way through this village wasn't going to happen any time soon, especially not if she was fighting a dragon and keeping armies of white blood cell knights off of her ass.

..

Now they had fucking mages too?! What was this, Dragon's Age Inquisition?

..

Who ever's arrow that had been the one to get her right in the ass was severely going to wish it had been his ass with the arrow. Because when Regina got her hands on them...fuck, if only all these knights would get out of the way first! She was swarmed by them on all sides! And they just kept pressing her in in this tight market. Her movements were fast, but there was only so long she could keep their swords and spears and fires away from her skin. And they just kept coming. No matter how many she slayed, more showed up. Was there no end to this?

..

Grenades. Grenades worked wonders.

..

So did Nukes.

* * *

Cruella didn't feel too good. Her latest snack wasn't agreeing with her. She opened up her mouth and smoke curled up from it. And then her body did a most curious thing, it began to distend and bubble like it was melting all over, specifically the eruptions coming from her stomach. She howled something fierce in pain and began to shrink right before their eyes back into her human form as smoke kept curling up from her mouth and ears and blood dripped from her eyes. She clutched painfully onto her stomach and all Emma could wonder was, where the hell was Regina? Had she shrunk down in size as Cruella did? Or was she...gone? Forever lost to Cruella's cruel appetites?

No, Emma wouldn't despair. She wouldn't. Not yet. She had to believe in Regina.

Still holding onto her stomach, Cruella began to make retching noises, her jaw unhinging beyond human limits. It was like it was entirely disjointed from her skull. Emma covered up her own mouth in horror as she saw a saliva covered arm shoot it's way out of her mouth, nails clutching at air.

Oh god! Emma couldn't stand to look. She turned her head away as she heard Cruella's guttural screams and groans muffled by something distinctly human sized crawling up her throat. Only when Emma heard something that sounded like water breaking did she turn back to see Cruella holding her sore throat, coughing up spit and blood and something else, dark and murky with streaks of green. Regina stood in front of her, brushing off saliva that coated her outfit like a second outfit. She was nonchalant, like she hadn't just crawled her way out of a woman's stomach. "You may want to do some housekeeping. All that careless eating of yours has lent to pest problems. But don't worry, I took care of them for you," she raised her head up haughtily.

"Rugh Rgitch," Cruella growled out, guttural and painful to listen to. She shook with the effort of passing those sounds through her lips; she sounded barely human.

"I also did us all a favor and ripped out your vocal cords." Regina held up the organ in question before throwing it away like it was trash. "As well as all your other organs." And true to her word, there was a gleaming wet pile of assorted organs lying by her feet, some still twitching from their fresh removal. How was Cruella even alive right now without a pair of lungs to breathe? Emma was intrigued and horrified at the same time.

"Give up Cruella. You've lost."

As if summoned by their masters distressed cries, the hounds reappeared behind her, salivating as they scrapped nails and clanked jaws hungrily. They had finally escaped their prison of flames.

"Renever!" the woman screeched breathlessly, trying to get up only to fall down to her feet. She froze when she saw Regina held her heart in one blood soaked hand.

She knew just what Regina could do to hearts; it was a skill Cora had solely taught her and no one else. Unfair, really.

Regina seemed to read Cruella's thoughts but she shook her head. "I won't crush your heart, instead, I'm going to do something else." Her hand holding the heart shone that light pink color. "I'm going to give you some love."

Cruella's eyes opened in horror and she reached out a clawed hand to get it, unable to do anything else to get to it. As she watched, her blackened heart began to beat faster as color permeated through it, making it lighter in color. Spots of red peeked out through it; it could never be thoroughly cleansed but Cruella was no longer the same she had once been.

Regina finished squeezing the heart and handed it back to Cruella's limp outstretched hand. She put the wet organ there, curling the woman's fingers over it. "Be free," she said softly.

"Rgthankth rugh," Cruella said, eyes now wide in wonder. Then she disappeared in a cloud of black and white smoke, taking her hounds and the pile of organs with her.

"Cruella, you coward!" Cora jumped up from her seat, her head thrumming in anger and inflating twice it's size. "You come back here and fight her!" But the demon mother's cries weren't heard. Cruella was gone. "If I ever get my hands on you, you will rue the day you crossed me and turned your back on the council!" Her shrills were so piercing that Emma could feel her ears bleeding from the proximity.

"She's no longer beholden to you," Regina said confidently. "She has her own mind back. She is free from you."

"You've corrupted her!" Spit flecked Cora's lips.

"No, that was you. You corrupted all of us. Made us slaves to your cause. No longer. Your hatred will not bind us."

"You speak of love, as if you know the true power if it," Maleficent cut in, turning her reptilian eyes on Regina. Even in her human form she was never truly right, always an air of something off about her. Something chilling to the core. "As if you know how it feels to be in love truly. You only think it sweet caresses and hotly whispered words of promise and pleasure. But you have no idea what it feels to have it cruelly snatched from you, beaten into the ground, until you lose the will and hope to move on."

"Have you forgotten Daniel?" Regina spat.

"And what of him? He wasn't your true love. He may have loved you, but you didn't love him. You only thought you did. If you truly had, you wouldn't have been able to kill him."

"How dare you say that!" Regina spat, hands curling up into fists.

"I dare too because it is the truth."

"I had to kill him for the contract; in order to protect Emma. Mother wanted me to keep Emma safe no matter what and if that meant killing him to keep her safe and mother happy, than I really didn't have a choice in the matter, did I?"

"All I hear is excuses," Maleficent said flatly. "I wonder if your love for Emma is the same? Will you kill her if she inconveniences you?"

Emma felt chills rocket down her spine. That demon...Daniel, the one from years ago, had been Regina's old true love? Doubt began to crowd her heart and head. If Regina did that to someone who had once been her true love, than what would happen to Emma?

"I would never harm her!" Regina was shaking in fury and Cora was feeding off of it like a drug addict on crack. It was empowering her and weakening Regina.

"That remains to be seen," Maleficent said, brandishing her staff, letting the top of it catch on fire as shadows crawled over her shoulders and settled there, elongating into a long jagged cloak, mimicking wings. The shadows on her head turned into a horned headdress and her skin turned green by several shades. It was her second form. "Just do not try your love on me, for I have already tasted it in the past and I wish to have no more of it's torment."

And with that, Regina engaged in battle with her second opponent of the day

* * *

Out of servants to fight for her, Tremaine was less than pleased to have her rest disrupted. And when she was cranky, shit got dirty real fast. Literally.

Tremaine exploded into her second form with an impressive screech of anger, a form that was a giant amalgamation of sentient dirt that was packed hard and made the shape of a twenty foot giant monster with fire for eyes and boulders for teeth. "I will make you rue the day you took my nap away from me!" Speeding projectiles erupted from her chest and were flung at Ursula with deadly accuracy. The Sea Witch lazily spun the Trident in circles to deflect the attack and growling in increasing vexation, Tremaine turned around and squatted down a bit.

"Is this bitch shitting bricks?" Ursula gasped out, offended. "Literal, bricks of shit?" This wasn't a deadly attack by any means but Ursula wasn't getting within a thirty mile radius of it. She zoomed off to the side and Tremaine followed after her, thankfully without her shitty bricks. This time she was lobbing car sized chunks of rocks and dirt at Ursula from within her body and the water demon deflected with her Trident or simply ducked. They danced around like this, neither delivering a satisfactory blow; it was almost like they were going through the motions. A sad sort of fight, leaving much to be lacking with tension and will she won't she survive agitated guessing. Ursula decided enough was enough. She wanted this joke of a fight to end. She sensed it through the auras pulsating in the air that Cruella was gone, which meant Regina was already done with her and moving onto Maleficent given the strong surges of Dragon magic. Ursula wanted to move on already, harried that she was still stuck on such a weak sin.

Ah, but she did love prolonging things, dragging them out for effect. It was a particularly useful trait when seducing so as to increase sexual tension, but not when in battle it seemed. Absorbing some power from the Trident in her hand, she turned a watery blue color before all the cells in her body were entirely formed of water, her form shimmering and rippling. "Come, Tremaine," she goaded. "Let us have a real fight. Put your all into it, and you might just defeat me with enough time to take that nap you wanted."

By the twisted motions of Tremaine's dirt face, she was intrigued. "Very well. But when you are gasping for your last breath, buried under the very essence of mother nature herself, remember it was you who asked for your own death."

At the same time they entered new forms. Ursula's water form grew bigger and taller, more solid. And Tremaine turned to dust that sunk into the earth. The following battle was straight from a disaster movie. The very earth shook and groaned, screams of pain echoing from it's cavernous depths. It pulsated and shifted, hungry for her blood.

"This is much better. I'm done with foreplay," Ursula hissed and leapt forward to strike the concrete in front of her with all her power. "Give me the main act!"

* * *

Robin figured it was time to leave. He had given Regina the boost to snapping out of her poison induced funk and now she was back at it, fighting tooth and nail and tail, against her latest opponent. He had no more use here, and given that Ursula was obediently following his orders, he wouldn't have to keep an eye on her. So, it was time to move on and be more useful elsewhere. Perhaps he could lend the angels a hand with slaughtering demons.

While he had made mistakes when contracting himself to Ursula to fuel his obsession over Regina, the years had wizened him. He was no longer a foolish love struck man. Though he still liked Regina romantically to a certain extent, he could see the depth of her love for Emma, and Emma's love for her as well. He would be wrong to interject his way into their happy sanctum.

He picked his way across debris and staying away from the fights as far as possible, he made his way back over to where the angel army was sending bolts of pure blue light down upon the conglomerate of demons massed into one writhing massive pile. He plucked up a sword and shield on his way, releasing them from their post mortum home in the bowels of a slain demon. He shook the gore off and approached ever closer.

He felt no fear, for to see the seven sins battle it out was terror upon terror, their mere aura bringing him to his knees. And if he had managed to make it through them, than this was nothing. Even if he didn't know how to swing a sword, he would try because he had much good he needed to amend. He wanted to cleanse his soul of the sins of being contracted to Ursula had brought him, and this was the only way he could think to righten it before the world was to end and all the souls of humanity brought up for judgement. But before he could so much as get within arms length of the monsters, a voice called out to him. "Robin."

He whirled around, defensive. But it was only an ally. "Who are you?" he asked, looking at a man with a long white beard and seven foot stature built solely of muscles. He wore only pants and a shoulder pad, strapped to his chest with a thin belt of leather. There was blood on him but it wasn't his, splattering the giant muscles of his chest and abdominal.

"I need to speak to you on important matters. Come with me," he offered up his hand, a hand the size of Robin's head. His voice was low and booming. When Robin hesitated, the man added, "It is about your contract with Ursula. Time draws near. I know something that may help." And tilting his gaze to the side, Robin followed it to where a church stood unobstructed and still intact, a few meters from the battle.

Robin took the man's hand.

* * *

Regina's and Mal's fight was a blur. Emma could barely discern what was happening. All she knew was that there was the snap of thunder, the blaze of lightening, the smell of smoke and flame, and the oozing and suffocating presence of magic. Magic rolled off of them, consumed them, made the edges of their bodies bleed a little into the abyss of where these magics came from.

Emma was both exhilarated and terrified of the battle; so amazing to see such high caliber magic, the scent of it pricking under Emma's skin, trying to urge her into action, but frightening because this was intense, and she didn't want Regina hurt. She wondered which dark streak was her Regina.

The two demons were enjoying their battle. They hadn't sparred like this in a while, a tense and violent energy always between them ever since they had first met. Regina couldn't help the memories that danced in front of her eyes and neither could Maleficent though she was less than sentimental.

"Remember? The first time we met," Regina asked as she back flipped over a deadly purple blast. Just like old times, except this time their sparring was slightly deadlier.

"I almost killed you," Maleficent growled out.

"And I almost you. We spent so many says after that trying to kill each other before we decided we'd work better as friends," Regina smiled. She thought back to her youth, to caverns deep under the surface of the earth where she wandered demonic domain after domain before she stumbled into Mal. Mal had been a young demon there, her form scaly and half formed, while Regina already wore hers proudly, a rightly constructed shell of perfect skin and luscious locks. Regina had been cocky, all important only because of who her mother was and she thought everything belonged to her, even Mal's piece of hell. But Mal was going to prove her wrong.

While not looking pieced together quite right, Mal had sent Regina home that night with claw marks all over her skin and a badly burned ass to teach her the mistakes of being haughty. That didn't stop Regina, oh no, it only made her boil with anger and she kept coming back and back to Mal's place to try and win against her.

But she never did and along the way the hateful comments they threw across the field at each other became barbed compliments, and the punches and teeth they snapped at each other became helpful hands and sharp smiles. There's had been the start of an amusing friendship, one often filled with fights, for Mal's temper was as bad if not worse than Regina's, offset by a hair pin trigger. But no matter how hard they fought, or how long they went without seeing each other, there was that undeniable connection between them.

"Why are you dreaming of the past? You should be focusing on this fight," Mal snapped out, and there was that anger, finally rearing it's head. Regina had been worried by Mal's previous cool temperament. She had worried the woman had changed.

"I'm dreaming of it because I hope you will understand that, that we don't have to do this. As much as I enjoy testing my body to it's limits against you," and the double meaning wasn't lost on Mal here, "I don't want to hurt you, and I don't have the time to spend fighting you until eternity."

"Oh?" Mal arched a brow at this. "You think we're at a stalemate?" And there was a dangerous edge to her voice, one Regina missed over the roar of green fire fizzing past her face. She raised her hands and let lightening rain down from the sky onto Mal only for the woman to raise her magic staff and block it easily.

"I have spent years sharpening my skills, expanding my magic repertoire. I may not have beat you in the past, but I certainly can now."

Mal sighed out, shaking her head in amusement as she redirected several exploding balls away from her head and onto Regina who dismissed them with a wave of her hand before firing off some smaller lesser spells to trip up Mal. "I still see you are as arrogant as ever, Regina." And with a simple flick of her fingers Regina was frozen, hand mid motion, eyes bulging out as she strained her body to move but could not. Mal took her time to walk over to her, long cape dragging over the rubble.

Emma was finally able to see what was going on for the first time since the fight had started and her breath froze in her lungs as her body leaned forward, aching to run to her lover's aid, but Cora's nails sunk into her shoulder and held her down. They burned like live hot iron on her skin and it was all she could do to keep from hissing out in pain.

"Did you think I spent all these past four decades slumbering? Doing nothing? No, I spent time working on myself. On fixing myself after the mess you made me," her words long, drawn out malicious hisses. "I am capable of magic you can only dream of. And I will let you feel my pain. The pain of the suffering you put me through."

Regina wanted to point out she hadn't meant to do that to Mal, that she still cared for her, but she couldn't, not with her vocal cords frozen. Mal flicked out a finger, nail pointed and black. In a quick motion, she had sliced the spot on Regina's abdomen and blood came trickling out from the wound. Then, she dug her hand into the cut, drawing out Regina's intestines.

Emma felt bile rise to her mouth and she looked away but Cora wouldn't let her do that. She pulled Emma's head up, forced her to look. "See what they do to your demon, Emma. See what foul end awaits her."

Emma struggled with everything in her to turn her head away, but she couldn't. All she could do was helplessly watch.

The intestine went around Regina's neck, looping around tighter and tighter until it was choking her and still Regina could do nothing but watch as her own demise drew nearer. How was she to get out of this? How could she?

Smelling the doom radiating off of Regina, Mal smiled, drawing her face near to Regina's paling complexion as all the air began to leave her. "I could kill you while you watched, incapable of doing anything. But I don't think that's quite fair, do you? It wasn't fair the way you left me but luckily for the both of us, I'm the bigger person here. And I'd rather watch you fight futilely to survive when you know you can't and won't no matter what."

A tear pricked at Regina's eyes because she knew...she could sense the gravity and truth in Mal's words. She knew she wasn't going to make it out of this fight alive. But she had to put on a brave front for Emma. She couldn't let her see her like this, losing hope. If only there was a way...that Regina could grab Emma and escape this field. But Regina couldn't, the dictations of the ancient rite locking her in with her doom.

She still had so much she wanted to say to Emma. She wanted to tell her she loved her. Wanted to tell her those magic words in the morning as they woke up in each other's arms. Wanted to tell her it in the nights when they made love to one another. And she wanted to tell her those words even when they argued.

But she couldn't, and all because she had fucked Mal over in the past. But she had been young and stupid and so self absorbed. If only she could apologize to Mal...perhaps it was too late for apologies. But Regina's newly reformed heart wouldn't let her give up entirely. That was the thing about love. Even when there was no hope, hope still blossomed.

Regina was going to try her damnedest to get out this alive with her Emma by her side. Or else she wasn't a true Mills.


	23. Part Two- The End is Near, or is it?

* * *

_Show you what hell really feels like_

_-Aviva, Hush-_

* * *

The very earth folded around Ursula, like it was trying to hug her, to cocoon her in it's warmth until it suffocated and crushed her. But she was intangible. Her form could not be destroyed. Every time a slab of earth slapped down onto her, she would only reform, not even registering the pain of that. It was so amusing to see Tremaine rumble in frustration. And every time Ursula stabbed into her rock and stone and slate with the Trident, water would burst out of her, weakening her, taking another part of her away from her.

"Your first form is not nearly as effective or impressive as it sounds," Ursula laughed cruelly. She was winning this fight. Water would over power earth, as the ocean would one day swallow the continents whole.

"No, no!" Tremaine floundered, frustrated. She was losing steam and quickly. Ursula merely had to wait for her to tire herself out before she delivered the last blow. So she kept on with the pattern of slowly stabbing Tremaine apart. A simple yet highly effective strategy.

Tremaine was close to losing, she could feel it in the very core of her being. She wanted to flee but knew that was not an option. Mother would kill her if she did. But Ursula would kill her if she stayed. It was a lose lose situation.

"Don't try to cling on, it's not attractive," Ursula snidely said as her trident impaled yet another part of Tremaine, causing her to wail. The very earth around Ursula gave a dying shriek as water swirled around her form in a massive roaring tycoon that met land head on in one last attack. She held the trident, glowing hot with magical use in her burning hand as she watched, pleased grin on her face. She had won like she predicted she would.

Tremaine dissolved into a sad pile of sand while the landscape around them collapsed back down. It was like the city around them had been shifted by a divine hand. The land was pointed and uneven and holding vast qualities of water. No one would recognize this place if they walked into it. Good thing no one would.

Ursula approached Tremaine at a lenient pace, knowing the woman was too weak to do anything but weakly bubble. "It's over, Tremaine. You wanted some rest, so now enjoy your eternal slumber." And with that Ursula drove the butt of the trident into where Tremaine's face had taken on sloppy form in the wet sand. Her screams weren't heard as a bright blue light shone and every last particle of her was dragged away by tendrils of water that slinked through the newly arranged battle ground to deliver her to the seven oceans of the world.

With luck, she would never again reform, her particles forever never bound to cross waves.

That victory under her belt, Ursula turned to Gothel who was observing the battle from the reflection of her hand glass.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ursula asked as she materialized into her human form again, skin taking on a human tone and her body a skeletal structure. "You're not getting any younger here." The sea witch let out a little dark chuckle.

Gothel grit her teeth at that insult. "Laugh all you want, but that will only give you laugh lines and crows feet."

"And gritting your teeth like that will only grind your enamel down," Ursula sneered, knowing it would rile Gothel up more.

"I don't have to deal with you." Black ooze began to form up from the cement as disfigured yet distinctly human shapes began to rise from the ground. They weren't the only ones- more began to crawl from the rubble of the city, even dead demons and angels too rising to Gothel's magics. They were all pale and glowing with an eerie green sheen. "My army of dead will take care of you."

This army of the dead wasn't slow- they were fast, rushing towards the Sea Witch like a wall of water. But there was something else as fast and powerful as them.

"If Tremaine's servants couldn't keep me down, then neither will these," Ursula cockily lifted up her hands and sent a huge tidal wave out of midair at them. It swept the shambling army off their feet, like water washing away swarms of ants, but Gothel wasn't worried. "There will never be a shortage of dead," she pointed out, triumphant. "Neither can they be killed. That's the true beauty of them. So have fun washing their stench and rotting flesh away, over and over."

Gothel turned away so she could pull at her cheeks to make sure no new wrinkles had cropped up due to expanding her powers.

Ursula knew that what Gothel spoke was true. With her water powers and Gothel's unlimited control of the dead, there was no way the playing field would tip one way or another. That was why Ursula would have to change things up. Black smoke curled up around her as she forwent her human form and even the new water form brought on by the trident, to skip straight to her first form.

In this form her assets were greatly exaggerated. With a double D bust-line, thick thighs and an ass that would make Nicki Minaj jealous. Her face too was the epitome of perfection, of sexual appeal. Her whole body was a sexualized weapon. She tossed back her shoulder length flowing silver locks, a satisfied smile taking place on her full red lips. Pheromones radiated off of her without even trying. And clothing was barely a thing on her. Her outfit was a shameless bikini with the minimum amount of cloth necessary to hide her nipples and crotch.

Jealousy flared in Gothel's eyes and Ursula took advantage of that even as she lent the tendrils of her naturally flowing powers extend towards the dead army which had gathered themselves up and was arriving in droves again. They paused in their steps, as if awakening. They blinked their eyes sockets and turned their heads towards Gothel, suddenly intently focused on tearing her down for the lust of their lives Ursula. With guttural moans and cries they raced towards Gothel.

Ursula didn't have time to play army. She had a demon to destroy and a victory to prove. She had already wasted too much time on Tremaine and her silly powers.

Gothel hissed in annoyance, and waved a hand. All the dead dropped like flies, dead once more.

"Don't even think about raising the dead again. I will only seduce them to my side once more. The only one who can't be seduced is you."

Gothel didn't want to fight the Sea witch. She didn't want to mar her features. She had avoided any real suffering because her army always did her work for her, but if Ursula could control them than Gothel was left defenseless unless she pulled out her own magics. Her hand shook in fury on the mirror. All this time, spent preserving her looks, taking care to be good to her own body, and all to be thrown away on some sea barnacle.

"What are you waiting for?" Cora urged on from where she was still watching. "Are we not putting on a splendid show for Emma here?" she patted the woman roughly on the head. Emma didn't look pleased at all by the show, and Gothel couldn't care less about her. She only cared for her looks.

"I don't want to ruin all this effort I put on-"

"I don't care." Cora's tone was cruel, cold and careless. "Fight her and kill her, or I'll simply kill you now."

Gothel gulped angrily. She had no other choice. She could always find herself another skin to wear, she assured herself. Dropping her mirror into a storage dimension she controlled, called the Tower (a thirty foot spire into the air), she let her form fall away. Her forms weren't like the other demons. Once she broke her human one it was all over. And she had grown rather attached to it. Gothel was going to murder Ursula for making her shed it.

Her second form too, if turned into her first form, could not be regained unless she found a suitable enough host for it. Right now it was that of a giant harpy woman, complete with a giant pair of wings, and claws and feet sharp enough to render steel in half. Her face had feathers sprouting from it that went up into her hairline and became her hair, and her mouth was a tiny yellow beak that worked as a nose and mouth. She launched herself up into the air and Ursula cruelly laughed under her. "I thought you'd be something more interesting given how well you hid yourself. But I guess you were a simple boring bird."

"A bird who has eagle eyes for fish," Gothel spat back and with a screech, she extended her talon's down to the sea witch.

* * *

Regina had lost her footing against Mal.  _Slip up once and it was all over,_  she thought bitterly as Mal's violent magics wrapped around her body and slammed her from ground to building, to sky to ground again, until Regina felt like she was a bruised sack of apples. She was pretty certain her ribs were broken, and so was her leg and her forearm. She had heard loud snaps over the sound of Mal's delighted cackling. The woman was barely breaking a sweat, standing around and using her mind to wreck havoc on Regina's body.

Another particularly bad drop and Regina let out a gurgle filled with blood as her spine went next. She was like a ragdoll now, her fate in Mal's hands.

"This is fun. More fun than I would have expected. All those years of hating and plotting, so deliciously played out."

Regina could say nothing to that, the air knocked from her lungs three drops again, and her vocal cord ripped out many more. She was losing track, black spots dancing in front of her eyes. She hated the idea of Emma seeing her like this, so bent and broken. She hated it. She wished she could fight more for her. Could prevent her from having to see this, but no doubt Cora was making her watch this, that sick bitch!

A particularly harsh blow had Regina knocked out unexpectedly.

Mal dropped Regina's unconscious form in front of her. "How droll," she sighed out, tapping a long tapered finger onto her staff. "I suppose I shall let you wake before we renew this. It is no fun to deliver pain when the victim can't even register it."

Even in her unconscious state, Regina's bones began to repair themselves, healing her as best as could be done now. Mal began to grow impatient and jabbed Regina hard in her stomach and the woman stirred to with an aggrieved cry. "Come, up with you," she hissed, snatching Regina up by her arm.

Regina was woozy on her feet, but as she cleared her throat, she decided to speak, finding that her voice box was back. "Mal, please, let me explain-"

"There is nothing to explain," Mal hissed darkly and then shoving Regina's form from her, began her magical torment again. The brunette dropped to her feet as invisible fingers tightened around her throat. She tried to latch onto them, to pry them off, but nothing was there. Regina's eyes began to tear up, her face to turn blue. She dropped even lower to the ground, her back bending over and eyes starting to roll back into her head. And just when she thought it would be over, just when her vision faded, it stopped. She collapsed onto the ground, breathing hard, only a mere seconds of respite before the fingers grabbed her throat again.

"I think I could enjoy watching you choke a couple hundred times more," Mal surmised, eyes glinting with pleasure as she rolled her wrist and it began all over again, Regina writhing on the floor in front of her, fighting an invisible foe.

 _Please, someone, anyone, help her! Make this stop!_ Emma pleaded to whatever power she could, tears streaming down her face. Her poor Regina...in so much pain. She wanted to help her, but she couldn't. Cora held onto her, Cora enabled this pain to go on. As if sensing Emma's thoughts, Cora chuckled down at her shackled form. "Horrific, isn't it? Being unable to help, only being able to watch as your loved one suffers. But she deserves this pain.  _You_  deserve this pain. She's killed thousands of people as horrifically if not worse than this, and you told her to kill those who got in your way as well. Karma has a way of getting back at those whom have tempered with it."

Emma knew they were by no means holy, except Emma kind of was inadvertently and irreversibly to her own chagrin because of her angel nature. But surely there was a better way for Regina to atone for her sins?

Emma wanted to point out that Cora had her own sins too, probably more than anyone else on earth. But Emma's voice was taken from her and all she could do was seethe, enjoying the ways she would senselessly slaughter Cora herself. Emma hadn't taken a life of her own yet, but she would make an exception for Cora.

"Yes, do remain angry. It feeds me, dear," Cora chuckled darkly and the knowledge only made Emma angrier, even knowing what it did to the demon queen next to her.

* * *

Their fight had dragged them into the further reaches of the battlefield. Regina was glad Emma could no longer see her losing so badly. She stumbled to keep on her legs, to block Mal's magic with her own but she was tiring and Mal still looked as fresh as the moment this battle had begun.

"Do take some mercy on me," Regina begged now with her vocal cords returned to her. "I did fight Cruella before you."

"There is no mercy for the weak," Mal sniffed haughtily and lifted her staff up in a move that had Regina's legs jerked from under her and up into the air before she collapsed to the floor. She could have easily twisted her body around to land gracefully on her feet but she just didn't have the energy for it. She was drained. She lay there panting as Mal strode up to her, looking on her with a disgusted sneer on her face.

"Revolting. If you are giving up like this than I suppose I might as well kill you now." And with that she slammed the tip of her staff into Regina's stomach. Black magic coursed down the length of it and into Regina, the woman's back arching off the ground in an agonized scream. She wanted Maleficent off of her and now. Drawing up the dredges of her well of magic, Regina blasted the dragon witch away, sending her flying back unexpectedly.

Mal looked put out by that, but quickly recovered. She got up, dusted off her robes as Regina stumbled to her feet, holding her abdominal which was on fire in pain, a pain she had never felt before and that she could not temper. She cupped a hand protectively over herself and Mal took in the action with barely concealed glee, eyes glowing like glittering diamonds. Without another word she raised her hands and called forth more magic and her and Regina were back to their game of Regina trying and failing horribly to avoid Mal's spells.

Regina could feel herself slow down more and more with the pain in her abdominal growing, a sweat breaking out on her brow. Satan damn it, what was this pain? What was the magic that had been cast on her? The ground was torn from under her feet as she was flung back further from Emma and Cora and deeper into the abandoned warehouse the two witches had been fighting in. Debris fell over Regina, partially burying her. She pulled herself free from that, panting in exertion. It was almost like she was...human? Had Mal somehow temporarily made her body human? That would explain Regina's sudden physical weakness.

But no, she could feel the magic bubbling under her skin, like a disease. It was malignant and her heart started to pound in fear.

Maleficent strolled over to Regina, taking her time to take in with pleasure the woman's bent and broken body. Regina sat barely propped up against a fallen beam on the ground, trying hard to just breathe, squinting out of a blackened eye. She shifted up to attempt an attack, or even to defend herself from Maleficent's next strike but failed to do so. Her body hurt, and she was going numb, her vision sliding in and out of the dark. Something was terribly wrong.

She was scared. Scared she wouldn't make it.

That she would fail Emma.

"Mal," she looked up, eyes pleading.

"Even with you admitting you're in love with the angel, it's still not enough." It was a cool observation. "Love is supposed to be the most powerful kind of magic, the hardest to achieve, yet here you are, about to die in front of me, unable to use that magic."

"I...do...love her," Regina wheezed out and shut her eyes as the cursed spell Maleficent hit her with began to cause pain to lace up and down her body. Mal waited for the tremors to pass before she continued.

"You are unable to love, Regina. You never were able to." Old hurt lay glimmering in Maleficent's eyes.

"I'm...sorry Mal...that I hurt you."

"I don't need your pity," the green skinned woman snapped out.

"It's not...pity. But...an apology..." Regina gasped for breath, vision around her dimming. She could feel her heart slowing down unnaturally. "I was young...and dumb...and hurting after Daniel's death. I never...never...should have used you like...that. I treated your feelings...like...t-they were...nothing. I didn't take them seriously. And I...hurt you."

Maleficent said nothing just looked on as Regina's skin began to blacken. The curse was spreading, from where she had been hit on the torso to her arms, to her legs. As it grew it hurt Regina who panted and moaned in pain. The taste of ash permeated Regina's mouth. She knew what this was. She was dying.

Seeing that Mal was unaffected, tears began to swim in Regina's vision. "Please, Mal..." she choked out, knowing Mal was her only hope of surviving this. "I don't want to die. I don't...want to leave Emma's side. I love her...I truly do. I want to save her. Please. I know...we had our differences in the past...and I know that what I did was shitty...but I was just a young brat. I didn't know...the magnitude of hurt being in love could cause..." Regina bit her bloodied lip as Mal increased the intensity of the curse by slamming her staff angrily into the floor.

"You still have no idea of how much you hurt me!" she roared out, losing that cool and unaffected demeanor. "I was ready to give up everything for you! My position on the council, my powers, my identity. I was ready to cross Cora in order to stay with you. I would have  _killed her_ , had you asked."

"I...know," Regina's voice was getting weaker, her body colder. "I know...and I'm sorry."

"You took that love I gave you and threw it away. Discarded it like a used tissue. You broke my heart, Regina!"

"I know...I do," Regina rasped. Now her fingers and toes had turned black and the curse was slowly eating it's way up her chest. "And I was wrong to do that...I shouldn't have treated you like that. What more do you want me to say? I was dumb...I was young...and I treated you horribly. And I'm sorry."

"Your sorry's are too late," Mal spat out, towering over the broken woman under her.

Using the last vestiges of her strength, Regina pulled herself into a kneeling position in front of the woman, though it looked more like was flopping forward like a fish than gracefully positioning herself. She let her forehead brush the ground; a queen broken and begging for mercy. "I wish they weren't...because I know now how it feels...to love someone so much it hurts. And I don't want to separate from Emma. I don't...-thinking of leaving her, of not being able to be...another...moment with her, it kills me. More than this curse does," Regina admitted, now crying tears of blood as her body broke down. Not even her healing factor could recover her body fast enough from this magic. "Please, you know how this feels. How it feels to lose a loved one...you..." Regina coughed, now unable to catch her breath. Her tongue felt like sand in her mouth. The curse had now spread up to her jaw, dark veins spreading up to her eyes like a spiderweb. "...help me...Mal. I would do...anything...to save Emma...from my mother's clutches...you know how that feels. I'll be...your servant...-torture me all you want later-...just...help..." When Mal was silent above her, Regina felt defeat crush her heart. There was no sympathy here. She really was going to die, and for a being who was used to being immortal, who had lived for so long, who had dealt with death as her trade, it still came as a shock. Came too soon.

She wasn't ready, but it didn't matter. She changed last minutes pleas, sensing the end was near.

"...keep Emma safe...don't let mother take her soul...it'll destroy the world completely...until not even we remain..." Regina let her eyes slip closed as the blackness finally crept up to her nose, almost having fully consumed her.

With a great sigh, as if this was an inconvenience for her, Mal stamped her staff onto the ground twice. The curse stopped spreading and began to slowly recede. "Get up. You've become disgustingly sappy. Really? Begging me for mercy. Demons don't ask for mercy, they make others demand it from them. How low you have fallen."

Regina tried to keep her smile small as she realized Mal was giving her another chance. "What can I say, love has made me disgustingly weak. Has changed me. But thank you...for not killing me." Regina looked up with thankful eyes, still wet with tears.

Mal made a disgusted scoff. "And now thanking me." She shook her head. "I only saved you because I realized why kill you and only have a momentary satisfaction when I could torture you for the rest of eternity, especially if you're so willing to it." Mal tried hard to act cold and stern but her eyes were cloudy. It seemed feelings died hard no matter how long in the past it had been.

"I promise I will make it up to you, somehow." Regina stood up on shaking legs, the curse now receding from her hands and legs. Her heart beat more strongly and she could breath easy.

"Just...treat Emma the proper way," Mal said, avoiding Regina's eyes as the Evil Queen looked on gratefully at her.

"I will," Regina swore and the soft moment between them was quickly dispatched with; Mal back to business.

"Now, it will look suspect that I have not killed you. And while I do not wish to see you die, I don't want to have Cora's wrath brought down upon my head. I won't fight her for you. That is your and Emma's battle now."

"So what do you propose?"

"I will fake my death, after we have a very public battle in front of your mother."

"Okay, just tell me how and I will do it." Regina winced when she tried to summon up some of her magic. It stayed locked in her body, refusing to be used. "But maybe give me a few moments to catch my breath. You did almost kill me."

Mal's lips quirked up with fondness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: To clarify things, here's a list of all the demons and their corresponding sins and why they represent them:
> 
> Tremaine-Sloth (In Cinderella, she had the titular character doing all the house chores for her while she did pretty much nothing. And in her demon form that is reflected in the way she has servants to fight for her until she is finally out of servants and forced to do her own work. She uses Cinderella, Prince Charming, and her pet cat Lucifer, as her servants.)
> 
> Cruella-Greed (She always wants more, as evidenced in the way she keeps hounding down the poor pups in her movie.)
> 
> Gothel-Gluttony (Her sin isn't as apparent and so it was a bit of stretch as to what to give her, but I settled down on gluttony because she is in a way hungering for beauty, and for agelessness.)
> 
> Ursula-Lust (Her song and dance number in The Little Mermaid is great proof of how the body can be used to seduce innocents. Additionally, she has a lust for being more powerful and for getting revenge against Regina and anyone else who wronged her.)
> 
> Maleficent-Pride (Her pride was hurt when she wasn't invited to the party in the Sleeping Beauty movie, and her pride was also hurt when Regina dumped her. Technically, while they are all sisters/ family, the seven sins are not related so it makes the relationship between the two of them not entirely questionable, although to be fair, they are demons and such relationships wouldn't be unquestionable for them if they were to have one. But I digress.)
> 
> Regina-Envy (Y'all know she was envious of Snow White's beauty in the movie and in this one Regina is not exempt from coveting things which is why she is so protective of Emma and also why she has a Vault full of shiny and magical objects that have captured her attention from realm to realm.)
> 
> Cora-Wrath (Queen of Hearts character is always shouting 'off with your head' at someone, which screams violence and she is also easy to set off in the cartoon version.)


	24. Part Two: It's Not Over Yet

* * *

_-One day the earth will open wide and I will follow you inside cause the only hell I know is without you_

_-Die for you, Starset-_

* * *

Gothel weaved and wove her way through the sky, letting out earth shattering screams that trailed after a retreating Ursula, who only seemed amused by the other sin's attacks.

"Really?" she mocked, moving quickly enough to avoid getting hit at all. The ground was not as lucky. It lay ripped apart, victim of vocals gone wrong. "Is this the best you have? I was almost more impressed by your powers in your human form."

Gothel only let out an aggrieved shriek at that, shattering all the glass around in the nearby area. "Funny you should mention that, when now that you have gained your beauty in your first form, and you have yet to do anything except avoid breaking a nail."

"Does it irritate you? That despite your hunger for being perfect, for being the most physically appealing, you are not? That no matter what you do, it will never triumph me?" Ursula continued to press, knowing it would only rile the other woman even more.

"You shut your whore mouth!" Gothel screeched and lunged down with her talons extended. Ursula ducked out of the way and Gothel was left grabbing nothing but air as she swooped back up into the air.

"Why don't you make me shut it?" Ursula chuckled and then pressing her hand to her lips, she gave an air kiss. Several shapes in the form of her lips, bright red, zoomed through the air and right at Gothel, who extended her wings to their full length and let loose an array of razor sharp feathers that were meant to combat the kisses. Upon impact with them, the lips exploded in loud collision, sending smoke everywhere.

Ursula did not let up her assault. She kept spreading more and more kisses, causing Gothel to spend more feathers combating her. Not all her feathers could knock the floating kisses away and one or two got to her. She let out a pained gasp as they exploded against her, ripping huge chunks of her skin away.

"You'll pay for that!" she promised with vehemence as the side of her face bleed.

Ursula merely giggled. "I do hope so. I don't mind a little kink with my play," and then she bunched up her legs and jumped up into midair, producing one of her favorite weapons. A whip. She wound it up behind her head and aimed right at Gothel, wrapping it around on her legs before using gravity to pull them both down. "It's time to stop taking the high ground, and get down and dirty," she jeered as she landed softly on her feet and Gothel was slammed right down into the concrete with a resounding crack. Gothel struggled against the whip around her leg, snapping at it with her beak while irreversibly being dragged closer to Ursula.

* * *

Emma had lost track of Regina's and Mal's fight several minutes ago and it worried her beyond words. It was too quiet. Which could not be a good thing, especially not when she had last seen Maleficent beating the ever living demon out of Regina.

She couldn't imagine what she would do with out Regina in her life. The thought physically tore her apart. Regina had been the one constant in her life. The one person that experienced everything with Emma. From Emma's first period, to her first kiss, to her first apocalyptic battle. To have her gone...to not be able to share anything mundane to extreme like that anymore...Emma simply couldn't comprehend and it was dawning on her quickly that it might be a reality she had to face soon.

"Worried, dear?" Cora teased next to her, sickening smile on her face. How could this woman derive such pleasure from hurting others. From watching her own children fight to the death?

She really must be the Queen of Hell if this was such the case.

Emma couldn't even answer this because she had been robbed of her voice. As well as shackled and her sword tossed somewhere, she was useless. And she feared to know what would happen to her after this was all over. Maybe it would be best if she was just killed. That way she wouldn't have to deal with the pain of losing Regina.

Their relationship was complex and looked down upon by many, but she didn't care. Regina loved her, and Emma would not have anyone else but her demon.

Just as Emma was content to wallow in her misery, one of the buildings exploded outwards and out of the debris caused by the ruckus, a dark figure rose into the air. A massive dragon, slim and so dark it seemed to suck the light around it. It had accents of neon green going down it's neck, belly, and tinging the spikes on it's back and tail. It gave a mighty roar, snarling ferociously into the air and spouting noxious green fire in the direction of someone.

Emma sat up on her hunches as if she could see better from this distance but she could not. It was too far away. But she had to hope it was Regina. Even Cora sat up a little more on her throne, eyebrows high. Clearly she had not expected Regina to pull through. But she had.

The dragon's giant wings spun up dust and small objects with each flap and she chased after something that was running on the ground, green fire following after it. As they drew closer, Emma couldn't help the happy gasp coming from her mouth. That did not please Cora who back handed her harshly, knocking her to the ground. She sat up, coughing up blood from where she had bit her tongue.

"Shut your disgusting sappiness," Cora hissed at her, barely deigning to look down at her.

Emma wiped the blood leaking from her mouth, not caring that she had been hit. Not when Regina was okay and her heart felt like it was being reknit. There, she could make her out, still in her human form, and in her hand was a sword and shield, like a traditional knight.

She cheered her on in her mind.  _Regina, you can do this. Only this demon and then...then you've technically won the tournament and the head demon has to let you go!_

At last when Regina and Mal got closer, Emma could see more clearly that the green fire spewing out of the dragon's mouth wasn't just fire. It was ghostly forms of people. Souls of those she had devoured. She landed with a ground shaking thump as the fires she had sprayed onto the earth began to move and take form and march towards Regina like a horde of zombies but made of fire.

Would no challenger be easy for Regina? Did they all have to give her such a hard time?

If only Emma could be free...than she would help Regina no matter her own shortcomings with facing off mighty evils. Atlas, all she could do was sit here and hope that Regina would continue winning.

* * *

Mal had agreed to help Regina, but, it seemed she wasn't going to make this easy on the woman. Using her first form while Regina was in her human one, unable to transform into even her second form. It seemed ever since she had professed her love for Emma, something about her magic had changed in her and she hadn't had a second to breathe to figure out how to unlock the damned thing. So, thus her human form would have to be good enough until she defeated Mal.

The ghostly figures marched towards her steadily and letting out a warrior cry, she began to hack and slash at them. They dissolved into smoke on her attack and Mal laughed at her, the sound rumbling like thunder through the air.

Oh sure, let her have some amusement at this. She was going to make Regina sweat for a while before they actually got to the part where Regina could defeat her. The battle dragged on as every time Regina defeated two warriors, Mal breathed more fire and more rose to her cause. Regina was beginning to tire. A demon of her caliber had high stamina but given all she had been through today, it was only natural she was beginning to lose steam. She didn't know how much longer she could go.

She signaled that with a look from her eyes and Mal seemed to understand. She raised her neck up high and spewed more fire. This resulted in souls literally falling down like rain. Regina put up her shield and let the bodies thud against it when they fell. This was a mistake. It resulted in her being blinded to Mal's attack. The dragon reached down and clamped her teeth around Regina's shield, lifting her up into the air.

"Shit!" Regina swore as she went up, her legs dangling amusingly under her and her sword arm trying to thrust the sword uselessly at Mal who was too far from it's reach. All it did was poke her in the gums. The dragon let out a roar of annoyance and shook Regina around hard. The sword clattered free from her hand and then Mal tossed her hard, like a frisbee.

She went sailing through the air and held up her shield to block the shock of her collision with the ground. She bounced a few times and even ended up cracking one of her ribs, but she was back on her feet within moments, digging into her Vault for yet another weapon.

Another sword, this one enchanted with magic. A special potion covering it's blade that when Regina would stab Mal with, it would cause her to go into a temporary death that would hopefully fool Cora.

The sword gleamed golden in the setting sun's light, the red rays casting every thing in the shade of blood, which too much had spilled of today, most of it being Regina's in this damned battle. She held it level with Mal before banging it onto her shield, goading the dragon witch to come closer.

Mal roared in challenge and began to race towards Regina. Each step she took, made the ground shake and it nearly unbalanced Regina. When the dragon was in closer range she let out a burst of fire that Regina blocked with her shield, gritting her teeth as the weight of several hundreds of bodies crashed upon her blockade. Not only that, but it was horrendously hot. As they crowded against her, she expelled a blast of magic from her body that evaporated them easily. Upon lowering her shield she found the dragon almost on her. It reared up and slashed down with it's claws. Regina ducked and dodged the clumsy attempts before rolling underneath Mal's body.

There. The place that was the weak spot of Mal's form. With a grunt of exertion she buried the sword to the hilt in her gullet. Mal let out a horrendous shriek and began to sway, stamping her feet in uproar and shaking her head this way and that in dying cries.

Regina quickly got out of the way, not wanting to get trampled. She barely made it out before the dragon fell down, taking down a couple of lampposts along the way. It lay there wheezing, it's wings fluttering pitifully as it took it's last breaths.

Regina watched, as the figure slowly shrunk to that of Mal's human form. The blade stuck out of her chest, blood dripping around her, staining her shirt and her skin. "Despite all that you have learned, still it was not enough to thwart me," Regina gloated, giving nothing away that this was planned. "How pitiful. Even with my sojourn on Earth, even with me being in love, your pure dark magic is no match."

When Mal did not answer, Regina continued. "What, nothing to say?"

She stepped up to Mal's fallen form and using her foot, she dug the sword in deeper, at last finally severing the connection. Mal disappeared, done with this battle.

Regina turned to her mother, raising her hands in the air. "So, mother. The battle has been won. My trials have been tested and I have proved my worth. Now hand Emma over."

* * *

The crack of a whip rang through the air as Ursula used her whip to attack Gothel. The woman was fighting hard but it was clear this would be a battle she was going to lose unless she advanced to her first form. Already her wings had been broken, her beak snapped, and she was bleeding from many wounds.

"I despise you with all my being," she snapped out at Ursula, because she knew she had no choice but to go through with the transformation now. She sucked in a huge breath as Ursula watched with gleeful eyes.

Finally, a real battle. A real way to prove her powers.

Gothel opened her mouth and from it fountained forward sludge, thick, thick, sludge. It continued to pour out of her, in an almost never ending stream. It covered her prior form and began to build around it until it stood about thirty feet tall, still melting and molding, unable to hold one form.

It was a disgusting thing. It smelled like the worst stenches ever known to humans and it almost made Ursula gag had she not lived in Hell. And the very space around it was warped, the sky above it becoming a dark bruised color and the ground it stood on sprouting weeds and gnarled roots.

Finally, the form was finished building, a mouth opening up on it though it had no eyes or nose or any limbs. With a gurgle, acid flooded from the mouth and cascaded down the streets, burning through and eating everything in it's way. Ursula jumped up, using several landing spots, which quickly began to crumble as the acid ate the base, to land a safe distance away on some crooked rooftop.

"Ah, your true form. Truly as ugly as I feared. No wonder you hid behind your false masks for so long. I would too if I were you. I think it might be time for a makeover," she grinned, tossing her long and luxurious hair over her shoulder. "How would you like to get your face pounded flat by my fist?"

As the giant monster slowly turned to face her, Ursula launched herself onto it, her hand powering up as she sent her powers into it. When she smashed it right into Gothel's face, the sludge erupted in an explosion of muck. Ursula didn't stop there, continuing her assault with her pummeling fists until the demon before her was nothing but a smudged stain.

But of course she didn't expect Gothel to stay down. She began to reform and as she did so, Ursula began to brainstorm a way to defeat the other demon. If her form could not be destroyed from the outside than maybe it would need a good cleanse from the inside.

"Come, Gothel, let us see if perhaps you have some beauty on the inside," she sneered and as Gothel opened her newly reformed mouth to spew more acid, Ursula jumped right in.

It was like swimming through jello. Really stinking jello that robbed Ursula of her sight. It seemed Gothel had no real insides, other than a giant stomach full of acid that Ursula predictably landed in. It burned her lower half but she sucked in a breath to hold back her pain.

If Regina could handle being digested, so could she for the moment.

"Uh oh, seems your insides are as ugly as your outsides. You truly do have no beauty anywhere. But do not worry, I can fix that," she said smugly, knowing that Gothel's demon core had to be somewhere close by. Holding her breath and ducking under, Ursula delved deeper into the acid stomach. It began to peel her skin off in chunks and she knew she only had a certain amount of time before the affect became instantaneous. For whatever Gothel consumed, or touched, quickly became ruined like her.

Not only had she destroyed the outside world with her acid by burning it, but she had also made it all dark and twisted. If she so much as touched a flower it would turn brown and grow thorns, becoming a corrupted version of itself. And if Ursula did not escape the depths of Gothel, she too would irreversibly become disgusting like that.

She blindly rooted around for the acid had eaten her eyes and was slowly worming it's way into her brain. And she could not hold her breath forever. A sucking sensation came from above her. It was Gothel, trying to expel her by spitting her out. Ursula would not be so easily evicted. Summoning her whip, she blindly wrapped it around something that was poking out in Gothel's stomach.

She held on tight, half the acid gone by the time Gothel finished her first attempt.

This allowed Ursula to have some space to breath, to not be fully submerged by the acid. But what was the thing she had latched onto? Could it be..? She reached for it, fingers closing in on something pulsating.

"Well, well," she chuckled soundlessly for her tongue had been eaten away. "What have I found." With a hard yank, it was freed.

Gothel's very being shook, an anguished cry making it's way into the air. Around Ursula, everything began to collapse so she summoned forth her lip bombs to blast a way out before Gothel could bury her in her own mass.

Ursula stepped out, holding Gothel's core in her hand, other hand wiping the sludge off of her as her magic began to repair her. She had just barely made it out in time. Her own powers of forever being young and attractive had protected her for a while before Gothel's powers could make the damage permanent.

Already her eyes were reforming. She didn't even bother to look back at Gothel, knowing she was collapsing in on herself and melting away into nothing more than a toxic sludge. A simple stain of who she had once been.

It looked like her job here was done. She had risen to the challenge issue to her. Sending out her feelers, she could sense that even Mal had been defeated. This placed Ursula now in the position of third strongest demon.

She had lusted for more power and now she had it. Of course, there was still one more thing she lusted for. And she was about to get it.

She relapsed back into her human form, tossed Gothel's core aside and then smiling evilly to herself, she walked in the direction of her next goal.


	25. Part Two- The Evil Queen and the Sea Witch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Warnings for graphic violence, as usual.

* * *

_When the waves start crashing in/And your heart is black as sin/And when you feel the water rise/And you're about to drown/Can't take all the pressure/Gasping for a breath/You're thrashing arms begin to tire/Don't close your eyes/We'll make it out alive/You're not alone_

_-Never Alone, Stitched up Heart-_

* * *

 "You think you've won the tournament?" Cora assessed coolly as she rose to her feet, her cloak swishing around her.

"I've destroyed anyone that was sent to fight me. And as per terms of the contract, that means I win," Regina spat. Her body was slowly healing itself from the damages it had taken in the fight with Mal and she could stand more upright now that her broken rib had reformed.

As they talked, Ursula approached from far away, cocky stride to her step.

"I see you have finished with your trials as well, Sea Witch," Cora commented.

"Not quite," she quirked up a gray brow, stopping a little ways between Cora and Regina. This way they formed a triangle, a triage of evil and powerful proportions. "I still have one more thing to take care of."

"Do you intend to fight Cora?" Regina asked, astounded by Ursula's willingness to go this far. She thought the Sea Witch was content to let it end here. But no, knowing her, once she had tasted power, for now she was third most powerful demon in Hell, she surely lusted for more. So going after mother wouldn't be out of bounds for her.

At this Ursula threw back her head. Her cackles rang through the air and spread a chill down Emma's back. That did not sound good. Emma had known not to celebrate Regina's victory over Mal quickly until Emma and Regina were both tucked away safely, as far as dimension traveling could take them from the wretched head demon and this apocalypse. "I'm not going to fight Cora." The statement hung in the air and it took Regina's tired mind a second to wrap around it. Her lips thinned when she did.

"You're going to fight me." Her hands curled up immediately, and her legs spread into a defensive stance. "I thought you were supposed to help me." That was what Ursula had claimed at the start of this demonic battle royale. What Robin had ordered her to do against her will.

"I am helping you. Helping to  _kill_  you," Ursula said with malice and then summoned her Trident to her hand.

Regina should have known Ursula wouldn't drop the slights Regina had given her over the years quite so easily. And now she had her damned Trident. That would make her a force to be reckoned with.

Cora sat back down, pleased with this outcome. She waved her hand lazily as if commencing this fight to go on. Emma felt like pulling her own hair out. Felt like pounding her hands against the ground, like letting loose bitter tears. It just wasn't damn fair. Why were there so many obstacles lying in their path? Why did Regina have to struggle so much?

Ursula's eyes shone white as the Trident shone hot in her hands. A rumble went through the earth and Regina took three preemptive steps back from Ursula, knowing that whatever was coming next wouldn't be good.

And she was right. The fire hydrants and sewers exploded, tons of sea water sputtering forwards and beginning to wrap in a circle around the two women. The rushing water span around them as Ursula's powers controlled it. The air was filled with the scent of salt and rotted animals, the air roaring with the giant sound of hungry water spinning around and around until it had formed an impenetrable water tycoon, separating them from sight and from everyone else.

To try and make it out through the water would be suicide. Regina would be liquefied with the speeds it was going at. If she wanted to escape, it would have to be by defeating Ursula.

"Don't you think it's time to let old grudges die?" she asked over the roar of the water vortex.

"Preaching love and forgiveness? I think I may retch," Ursula and she did, opening her mouth wide and coughing out something long and slimy. It wiggled as it came out before dropping to the ground. It wasn't the only thing. Another similar animal came forth from the recesses of Ursula's mouth. Two eels. Two nasty looking eels. They slithered on the ground, growing larger quickly.

"Flotsam and Jetsam were looking for a new toy. I think you'll be perfect for them," she sneered as they expanded to be twenty feet tall. Saliva dripped from their jaws and electricity crackled along their bodies as they peered hungrily at Regina.

"For fucks sake," she hissed out miserably. She was so tired of fighting already. She just wanted it all to be over by now. Inhaling deeply, she threw her head back and summoned the last reserves of her magic. She was beginning to run out. But she knew she couldn't give up. Not when the fate of the world and Emma's life hung in the balance.

She closed her eyes, centered herself as Flotsam and Jetsam slithered closer to her, jaws gaping in delight at the chance to tear into something new.

* * *

Mary and David were beginning to tire as well. The demons and angels had been doing battle for the past eight hours nonstop and it was taking its toll on them. Too many good angels had been lost but it seemed barely a dent had been made in the demon army.

"What's taking Emma so long?" Mary groused as she wiped a streak of demon blood from her cheeks. She was panting and out of breath. She had slain too many demons to count and still there were more to count for they literally crawled out of the ground like ants. "She should have been able to find the head demon and slay it by now. Did we put too much pressure on her? Should we have gone with her?" She looked to David seeking comfort.

The angel warrior had blood caking the whole of his armor and sweat came down his brow. The ax in this hand felt heavy and cumbersome and he had splinters running up and down his fingers. "We must have faith in her. She is the destined one. She will prevail no matter what."

Mary nodded her head, smiling and more relaxed now with her husbands words. "You are right. We just have to wait a bit longer. Fight a bit stronger and keep these masses busy while Emma does her good deeds."

Mary notched another arrow and fired it right into the forehead of a demon ambling towards them.

* * *

The church was the only thing left untouched. Good thing too, because Robin would need it. Need it for what he was planning. While the angels were fighting their fight, and while Regina sought to save Emma, he would do his part as well. He owed them that much.

His demon, Ursula, was becoming too unwieldy. Too dangerous. And he knew once his contract ended the woman would try and fight or even kill Regina for whatever reason. And he couldn't let that happen.

He still cared for Regina, despite her being a demon, and even though she did not reciprocate his feelings, he would still do his best to clean up the mess he had made.

He opened the heavy doors to the church, his heavy boots echoing on the stone floor as he passed by empty pews all the way down to the altar.

* * *

Ursula had found a way to get around Robin's previous orders. He had told Ursula she could not hurt Regina. He had told her to help Regina, and this clever bitch had taken his words and twisted them around so that she could do as she wanted.

And while she herself could not lay a hand on Regina, her monstrous pets could. Though it was their teeth that did all the touching. One had grabbed Regina by her ankle and shook her properly before tossing her to it's eel brother who sunk it's needle like teeth into the flesh of her torso. It snapped and poked holes right through her guts, lungs, ribs, blood pooling inside her as she let out a scream of pain.

Magic flared in her hands and she aimed a blast right into it's eyes, blinding it. It howled in pain, before tossing her back to the other eel, which caught her in it's mouth and electrocuted her.

Her teeth clattered together and her limbs flailed around comically as all thought fled her mind. She chomped off her tongue halfway before the shocks ended before she was passed once more and electrocuted by the second eel.

Ursula relished in Regina's pain, laughing darkly as she watched Regina tossed back and forth like a rag doll, being slowly fried. The scent of burning flesh and hair filled her nose.

"I thought electricity was your forte," she said, though she knew Regina would not be able to answer her. She polished her nails on her shirt, making sure they were perfect and pristine to look at. "I guess not," she surmised as the demon's body was dropped to the ground. It flopped around like a fish, little sparks and bolts of electricity emitting from the burned and besieged body.

Flotsam and Jetsam grabbed one arm each in their sharp teeth and then began anew their torment. This time, they decided to play a little game of tug of war.

Regina slowly came to, her fried brain rebuilding itself axon by axon, and synapse to synapse. She couldn't recall much that had happened except that there had been a lot of pain she couldn't manage to handle without passing out. And now, she was becoming some sort of chew toy.

She had to stop this. Now.

But when she tried to move her limbs she found she couldn't. Not yet. The nerves connecting them were fried and she would have to wait until her body repaired itself before she could fight back. Until them she gritted her teeth as her joints protested to being roughly tugged around. As she fought the sensation of being literally torn apart. Already her tendons were screaming. Shredding.

She squeezed her eyes shut when Flotsam gave a particularly violent twist of his head. Suddenly she found the left side of her body several meters away, while her right side was dropped unceremoniously to the ground, every organ spilling out of her open wounds.

"I think I like this look on you. Instead of Evil Queen, how about we call you Split Queen?" Ursula commented, approaching Regina's body and driving the heel of her shoe into Regina's eye and popping it. "That's for blinding Flotsam. An eye for an eye, it's only fair." Technically it was the heel hurting Regina and not Ursula herself, so the magical order was twisted once more out of proportions.

Regina tried to make something come out of her mind but she found herself unable to speak because with the heel sticking through her eye and right to her brain, words could not be formed properly and her tongue was also missing.

Flotsam lowered his head, still carrying part of Regina with him. Ursula snatched Regina's arm from him and withdrew her foot so she could instead slap Regina with her own arm.

"Haha, I think I like this a lot. Having you beat yourself up," Ursula cackled as she continued to slap Regina's face back and forth while her decimated body twitched in an effort to repair itself. The Sea Witch did this for a while, relishing in the other demon's pain. Tears of frustration pricked at Regina's eyes. How mortifying to be hurt by her own hand.

"Good job my boys," Ursula praised at last and they both drew their heads closer to her so she could pet them. "Now tear up the rest of her."

They eagerly got to work, while Ursula held onto the Evil Queen's arm, using it to prop up her chin in a contemplative manner while she watched her pets eagerly follow her orders.

Bits and pieces went flying over their heads.

"I'm afraid this is your last stand, Regina," Ursula commented as they did so. Then she looked at the arm. "Or last hand?" she contemplated the joke, figuring it wasn't her best one. But before she could do much more something caught her attention.

She froze.

It was a summons.

A call she could not resist.

"Perhaps not today then, Evil Queen," she said, eyes already looking away in the direction of the signature that called her name. "I have some much more important factors to attend to. Though do not think that this means I won't come for you in the future. I will. You won't be safe until I am avenged."

She opened her mouth to recall Flotsam and Jetsam, the two of them racing towards her mouth and shrinking down to a manageable size just in time for her to swallow them down. They slithered down her throat one by one and she swallowed them, licking her lips. Then, she disappeared.

Without her, the magic holding up several thousand galleons of water sent them crashing down onto Regina's prone form. They covered her, flattening her, suffocating her, crushing every last bone in her body and sending parts of her flying this way and that, to be scattered.

It was like a mini ocean had been dumped in the middle of the field and in a way it had, and it washed everything away with greedy fingers.

Cora, sensing this, smartly teleported herself and Emma away until it was safe to come back, evaporating the flood of water covering her throne and the field with nothing but a single snap of her fingers once the water had stopped falling. There was almost nothing left remaining and no sign of Regina at all.

Tears gathered in Emma's eyes. Where did her demon go? Where was she?

And Ursula was gone too. What had even happened in the tycoon?

* * *

Ursula arrived at the doors of the church, and with a sneer she gave the unassuming structure a look over. "A church cannot keep a demon like me out, so you are mistaken if you think I will not follow you in there. You owe me your soul, Robin," she licked her lips and pushed the door open.

She found him in front of the altar, on his knees, head bowed. The pitiful sight pleased her.

"God cannot save you now," she said, her heels clicking with each powerful stride down the marble walls. A wave of water followed after her, wetting the ground while tentacles wrapped around the pillars supporting the church, crushing them with their tight hold.

The church roof gave a groan that was muffled by the screams of monster and men and clanging of armor outside. At last she drew to a stop right in back of Robin, whose head was still bowed and whose lips were moving in silent prayer.

"Out of the kindness of my deep black heart, I'll give you a second to finish up your prayers. But I won't wait too long. I'm starved."

"I won't need extra time," he announced, getting up and facing her. There was something different about him. Something almost inhuman.

She knew what. "You," she hissed and wasn't fast enough to duck his fist. It sent her careening out of the church, breaking the doors down on her way and taking a huge chunk of the front wall down with her. The building began to collapse in on itself from lack of structural integrity.

She got up from the ground, wiping the blood leaking from her nose with the back of her hand and instantaneously summoned the Trident. It shone golden, thrumming with power.

He strode out just as the finally piece collapsed, a cloud of dust marking his entrance. His eyes glowered and the muscles on his body seemed bigger, stronger. He almost shone with a sort of inner power.

"Trideon," she spat out his name in disdain.

"King Trideon to you," he corrected, his voice booming and carrying over easily.

"Not anymore."

"No, but shortly."

He held out his hand and the Trident was yanked out of Ursula's and into his own. She looked shocked by it's sudden betrayal.

"You may have destroyed my underwater kingdom with your tyrannical rule but no longer. I have come to right the wrongs and to reclaim the Trident and crown as they are rightfully mine." She had tricked him many eons ago, before banishing him to a sad and dry life on land while she tormented his people, mining their kingdom for everything it was worth and letting it fall into ruin under her watch.

"The kingdom is mine!" she swore and unleashed from under her dress her tentacles. But he was faster. He dodged them all and ended up in front of her using super speeds. And with his arrival was the unwelcome addition of the Trident's three prongs right through Ursula's chest.

"This ends here, Ursula, false queen of Atlantis." The Trident responded easily in his hand, her hands scrambled at it, to pull it out, even as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Salt water began to pour out of every orifice. From her ears, her nose, from her eyes and her mouth. What came as a small stream gushed out fervently until even water came from her fingers and toes, swelling her limbs until at last she grew too swollen and her body erupted into sea foam.

Drowned, in her own body.

Trideon stepped back, content that his people would finally have justice after suffering for many eons. As he did so, a sharp pain grew around his heart. It seemed he had exerted the human host's body. It would be time to return to the sea and leave Robin be.

He steadily made his way to the nearest beach. He had done all he had came to do. With his powers and position restored he could care for his people once more.

* * *

There were pieces slowly inching together. Pieces of a demon in human form.

Emma felt like she was going to be sick.

That...that was all that was left of Regina. How was she even alive in this state?

She was literally nothing but bruised flesh and ground organs and bones.

Emma looked away, feeling bile rising in her throat. Holy fuck. She didn't even know how to cope with this. How Regina was coping with this.

She wanted to scream at Regina that this wasn't worth it. That she should just run, leave Emma be. This pain, this suffering. Nothing was worth it.

"Oh pull yourself together, Regina," Cora said with contempt and rolled her eyes at the feeble attempts of the crawling parts. "It's but a flesh wound." She didn't have time to wait around.

When nothing much occurred, Cora rolled her eyes once more and span her wrist. Immediately magic covered Regina's parts and pulled her together, quickly and painfully knitting her together.

Her screams echoed through the air, so guttural and languished that Emma felt her pain.

Gods, she was filled with so much anger and hatred for Cora. She wanted to kill her. To render her from limb to limb and then crush and grind her down until she was nothing but dust. She would make her pay for what she had done! She swore it!

She struggled against her shackles, fingers curling and digging in, scratching at the space between the chains and her skin. She began to bleed, but she didn't care. If she kept going maybe she could slip out somehow.

At last once more together, Regina rose to her shaking feet. She felt wrong. Out of sorts. But that would be a given because of what she had just gone through. She clutched a hand to her chest, feeling the frantic beating of her heart underneath.

"Why...why did you bring me back?" Regina slurred, much like someone on the tenth drink of their first day of their weekend bender. Her eyes couldn't focus properly either and she blinked heavily to make sense. Even gravity felt wrong right now and she had to remember that she was on the ground and not floating up in the air much how she felt.

"Did you really believe that I wouldn't be on the roster of the tournament?" Cora had never fully expected Ursula to finish the fight. The woman always let her lust for certain things distract her. "This competition isn't over until you defeat me," Cora announced dramatically, sliding off her cloak. It fell to the ground with a thump of finality.

"No...no, I just...I can't," Regina began to plead. She had already been through so much. She couldn't take much more. She was tired. She just...she just wanted it to be all over.

"Don't tell me you're giving up now?" Cora mocked. "I always knew you didn't have the spine needed to be a true Mills."

Regina felt tears press into the backs of her eyes. Satan, she was just  _so_  tired. So, so, tired. But she didn't have an option. To say no would result in her immediate death. And to face Cora, would mean her death too.

Maybe if she had been fresh. If she had been rested, she could somehow fight her mother. But not like this. She would be an absolute joke.

And she knew without a doubt she would lose.

_I'm sorry, Emma. I tried so hard and I failed._

Still, she bravely held her chin up and prepared to meet her doom.


	26. Part Two- Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This should be the last chapter with a warning for violence.

* * *

_It's too early for surrender, too late for prayer/ we can't go to hell if we're already there_

_-Sin shake sin, Can't go to hell-_

* * *

 

Cora and Regina stared each other down, each assessing the other's state. Cora was rife with malignancy, and brimming with power, while Regina was roughly put together and barely able to muster up much strength or magic. She was running on fumes now.

Still, she had no choice but to try, because if she did not the whole planet would be destroyed with Emma's soul. She curled up her hands into fists, or tried to, but she could not. So she dug into her Vault and took out one of her many swords. But for some strange reason...she didn't know how to wield it. Was her body so out of sorts she couldn't even move a weapon? What was  _wrong_  with her?

She clumsily swung it around only to drop it at the end as all the ability to fight flew out of her. She didn't want to fight anymore. She  _couldn't_  fight anymore.

It was like she had forgotten how to. Which was impossible given her demonic nature. But yet, it had happened. She looked down in confusion at her hands, blinking harshly as if they could impart their secrets to her the longer she stared.

Cora observed all this with amusement on her cruel features. She clicked her tongue. "Something the matter?"

Regina shook her head no. She didn't want mother to know what was wrong but she had a feeling mother knew anyways. "Regina, how did you think you could ever stand up to me? Could ever seek to defeat me?" she chuckled darkly as she approached her daughter, her heels stabbing into the abused ground. "When I am war? When I am the very essence of violence? I am the way that animals, humans, demons, angels, and even nature, know how to fight."

They were standing mere inches away now, Cora tucking in a strand of Regina's hair behind her ear in a mockingly loving manner.

"You took away my ability to fight," Regina gasped out in horror, trembling in the face of this revelation. If she couldn't so much as make a fist, how would she hope to ever defeat Cora? She felt overwhelmed and stupid for even attempting to stand up to her mother. There was a reason she was the undisputed queen of hell ever since creation. She had been controlling wars and battles, and even small minor skirmishes ever since the world's existence. Ever since the first sign of life.

She looked over at Emma, who was still frantically trying to tear at her skin to free these shackles. They took away her powers, making her nearly human, but she wouldn't stop until she could lose them.

Looking on at Emma gave Regina some hope. Reminded her of something important. Something that Emma had given her, had taught her how to do.

"You may have taken away my ability to fight, mother, but you cannot take away my ability to love," and with that she plunged her hand into her mother's chest.

Cora had taught Regina the way of stealing hearts and of manipulating them. Maybe with her new found love magic, she could use it to make her mother more amicable. Maybe she could make her love like she had with Cruella.

It was an option, but would it prove a worthy one?

Cora did nothing, simply looked down at the hand in her chest like it was something interesting to look at and not something that was painful and life threatening.

But where Regina's fingers should have closed around a beating organ, there was nothing. Her hand returned empty, confusion furrowing her face.

"I took my heart out centuries ago," Cora reported calmly. And then she back handed Regina hard.

Regina became air born as her neck snapped and her head was forced to rotate 180 degrees with that attack. She did an arc in the air after soaring straight up almost out of the stratosphere at the speed of light before crashing down into the earth with the impact of a comet.

A loud boom issued, knocking Emma off of her haunches and covering her with dust. Cora watched, unaffected by the sound wave, or by the dust and fire brought by the collision. Steam rose from the crater hole and Regina stood on wobbling feet, wincing as she grabbed her head and turned it the right way around. She forgot how strong her mother's slaps felt. It had been a while since she had been on the receiving end of one. She rubbed her sore jaw and spat out some blood, hobbling out of the crater.

She had no idea how she was going to fight Cora now. She was in deep shit and her palms sweated with apprehension. She couldn't even use love magic on Cora's heart, because she didn't have one. Oh Satan. She felt truly sick with apprehension now. With dread.

It was over. Everything would be over.

Her chest rose with panicked gasps and she wanted nothing more than to turn tail and run but she couldn't. If she did, then she died a coward, and the one thing she wouldn't be labeled as was a coward. It took a lot to continue standing there, chin raised high.

In front of her Cora transformed into her second form. Her human form did not change much with the exception that the clothes on her were made of blood. They made up a corset, her dress, even the shoes she wore. A crown made of plush, gold and with a heart on top rested upon her hair which was made of brambles. Her eyes were swirling maelstroms, of red and black. And from the exposed skin of her shoulders, back, chest and arms, knifes blades stuck out, like a protective skin ready to skewer anyone that got too close to her.

In her hand she held a spear that doubled as her staff. And on top of it, run through, was a beating heart. But not just anyone's heart. "I have been saving this little delicacy for decades," she announced cruelly. "Remember that low life demon you decided you could fall in love with?"

"Daniel," his name fell from Regina's lips. And she ached in reminder in how she had to kill him; in how he had changed so drastically.

"Yes. I took his heart, so that he could no longer love you," she gloated and Regina could feel old anger burn inside her. Of course, trust her mother to make her life miserable in anyway she could. She had a hand to play with the downfall of their relationship.

Regina bared her teeth and temped down on her anger for she knew her mother would feed off of it and only get stronger and that was not something Regina wanted.

"Aren't you going to turn into your second form?" Cora asked. "I'll do you the courtesy of waiting."

_As if that would make a difference,_  Regina thought to herself. Her unlocking her second form would still be no match against Cora's own form.

Additionally, Cora knew damn well that Regina hadn't figured out how to unlock it yet. Or else Regina would have used it. Her old second form was gone and she didn't know if her love magic would even afford her a new one. Still, she tried. She closed her eyes and concentrated on happy memories of her and Emma. On them kissing, on them cuddling in bed, on them fighting foes together, on them almost breaking the bed with their sexual behaviors. She focused on her memories with a sort of blind desperation, because they were her last resort.

A warm feeling spread over her skin and when she opened her eyes she found she was transforming into her second form. Finally. This one was different from her Evil Queen form. While she still was dressed in a queenly manner it was...like a Good Queen. On her head rested a crown that was dainty and delicate. It laid on hair that was long and white, shining almost with a pure inner light. And her clothing was a mix of armor and leather, all in bright clean colors.

"A form born of love. Disgusting," Cora commented with a scowl. Then she plucked the juicy heart off of her staff and chomped down into it.

Blood dripped down her chin as she chewed on it, like it was nothing more than an apple. Regina tried to tell herself it didn't matter. That Daniel was dead and this couldn't hurt him any longer. She needed to focus on Emma now, because the world depended on the angel's soul being protected at all costs.

"Hungry for a snack? Run out of energy?" Regina mocked, knowing her mother was throbbing with power and not lacking it.

It was time to test out what her new form could do. Already she felt some power thrumming under her exhausted muscles. Which was good. It gave her hope she could continue onwards. But before she could even summon an attack, Cora was done eating the heart and tossed the remainder of it to the floor before she pushed forward the spear. A blast of pure energy raced along it's length from mother's core and arm, shooting from the tip and right at Regina.

Regina turned the offensive magic she had been summoning into defensive, erecting a shield in the nick of time. Still, the shield did nothing. Cora's magic was like an atomic blast. It blew away Regina's shield within seconds, and her second form not too long after, Regina throwing up her hands to block the harsh light blinding her as wind howled around hungrily sucking at her skin. Everything turned to dust around her but the magical nature of her form allowed her to survive for now.

When it was over, she dropped to her knees, the land scorched around her and her body feeling like it had been well done. She coughed out harshly, only blackened soot lodging free from her lungs. Her whole form...blown away...turned to dust in a single attack. Could she get it back? She tried to focus on those happy memories of Emma but she didn't have enough time. Cora's hand found it's home around Regina's throat and lifted her up so her feet dangled off the ground. Regina didn't even have time to gasp for breath before a spear was running right through her chest cavity and piercing her heart. With a sharp yank, the red organ was out and she was dropped to the floor like a dirty rag.

Her eyes were wide with horror. "No," she uttered out, knowing just what her mother was going to do.

"If you won't listen to me, than I'll make you obey my orders," Cora said and Regina lifted up a weak hand as if that could stop the inevitability, only to let it drop as she stood up to her feet, a blank look on her face. Mother's magic coursed through the spear and into the heart, commanding it.

"Regina, I want you to go and get Emma Swan's soul for me," Cora said calmly and Regina strode over, eager to follow the orders. Emma watched her approaching with dread in her eyes. She began to wordlessly plead with her demon but it was no use, Regina wasn't going to stop. And now Emma's only protection was gone. She was truly alone in this big mess of the world. Now she truly began to feel despair, it so strong it froze her limbs and took the fight out of her.

She had lost Regina. What else did the world matter? Emma was useless- she had been captured during the whole fight and unable to even break free of her bonds. Regina had been the only chance they had in saving the world and now her mother had so easily negated all the fights and struggles Regina had gone through in order to do good.

Emma tried one more wordlessly plea of 'Regina, please,' giving a most simpering look but the demon was unaffected by pity or sympathy.

A succulent apple with purple skin, was conjured in her hand and she pulled Emma up to her shaking feet.

But she didn't offer the apple to Emma. Instead, she took a bit of it, herself, revealing a green oozing inside. Dropping the apple, she harshly grabbed Emma's face and pulled it into a kiss.

Emma fought against it, but she failed, Regina's strong grip on her forcing her head still. The bit of apple in Regina's mouth was forced into her own and as soon as it went in she started coughing. An unstoppable irrepressible cough.

She dropped to her feet and clawed at her neck, trying to stop it. But she couldn't. She was choking on air, tears forming in her eyes as bit by bit something crawled up her throat, itching terribly. She tried to hold it back by closing her mouth, by swallowing it down but that didn't work. And slowly it progressed upwards.

She reached out for Regina's booted foot, hoping the woman would feel something. Do something to stop this. That she could break free of her mother. Regina watched with cruel impassive eyes but her chin was wobbling like she was trying to say something but couldn't.

It was her soul. Each demon had a fail safe device in case they needed to eject a soul that they had been cheated out of. And Regina's had been the apple.

The soul popped out of Emma's mouth after what felt like hours of coughing. And once it did, she collapsed to the ground, eyes blank and staring up at the sky. She was nothing but a shell. Her pulse slowed down, her body went cold. If she stayed without a soul for too long, she would eventually die.

Regina scooped up the soul, so bright it blinded her. It was pure. Too pure to be used. But she was certain mother would find a way to corrupt it.

She turned to walk back to her mother who was watching the scene with victory in her eyes. She thought she won. But not yet. Regina started to fight back. Started to resist the heart magic controlling her. She couldn't let mother have this soul. Couldn't let her take it away.

She grit her teeth as her limbs began to shake and her body slow down as she progressed forwards. Mother saw this and did not like it at all. She reached for the heart on the spear, trying to directly influence it only to hiss in pain as her hand came back steaming. "Your heart is too good for me to touch," she grumbled out, shaking away the pain. "But it won't save you now." She instead tried focusing on surging magic through the spear to Regina's heart and Regina let out an anguished cry as it hurt her. Twisted her insides to beckon to her mother's call.

Blood poured from her nose as she lost the fight, her steps speeding up once more.

_Please someone help me. Make this stop!_  She wouldn't even mind if the damned angels did something about it.

As if her thoughts summoned someone, a crack of green smoke curled up next to Cora. It was Maleficent. What was she doing here?

Cora arched a brow on the appearance of Mal in her second form, with her long flowing cloak and headdress. It was hard to read what she truly thought about Mal's sudden reappearance. "I thought you were dead."

Mal replied coolly, without even looking at Cora, just at Regina with pity. "I was as dead as you were certain to shed a tear over my dead body. Which is to say not at all." And then she grabbed Cora's staff and infused her magic into it. The magic repelled Cora away in a shock boom, sending her flying several meters away.

Regina let out a gasping breath, the constricting control on her body finally gone. Mal shoved the spear at her. "Quickly, put your heart back in. We don't have much time."

Regina didn't hesitate. She took her mangled heart off and shoved it back in, finally in control of her body once more. And once it was back in, she felt panic and concern over Emma hit her. "Oh Satan! Emma. Her soul is gone. I killed her!" she shrilled, clamping a fist tight over the thrumming soul in her hand.

"Quiet your whining. It does not become you." She shook her head, watching from a distance as a pissed off Cora stood up, dusting herself off. "How is it that you've made such a mess of things in such a short amount of time. You forced me to come back from the dead for this. And I was hoping for an early retirement. Now," she felt the spear in her hand trying to go back to it's master and she let it, it flying over the barren earth to Cora's outstretched hand. Mal pulled out her own staff. "Shut up, change forms, and fight."

"But neither love nor fighting her works. I don't know what can stop her," Regina admitted, her fear plain to see.

Mal snorted in disgust. "That's because you need to have hope. When Pandora's box opened up all those centuries ago, releasing all those terrible things, the one thing that remained was hope. You were able to change your blackened heart and become good. I was able to realize I don't truly want you dead and can live with the fact of our relationship going sour. There is always hope. Hope changes us."

Mal left it at that, arching her staff through the air and summoning rock golems to attack Cora, to keep her entertained for now. "Go to Emma. Put her soul back in. And then come fight. Let her join the fray as well." Then Mal was off, rushing towards Cora to hold her off.

Regina turned to where Emma's prone form lay. She looked so small and gray, like the color had been leeched from her. Regina's heart stabbed at that sight, or maybe it was only stabbing because it had been stabbed moments ago. Either way, she gently approached her love and cupped the back of her neck, tipping her head back so her mouth would open. "Open wide," she said and slid the soul down, hoping she wasn't too late. As soon as it entered, Emma gasped awake, color spreading along her skin and making her glow again.

"Regina?" she gasped out, clutching onto the woman in front of her as she sat up. She held no ill will to what had happened because she knew Regina hadn't meant it, hadn't been in control. But how long had she been out of it? "What happened?"

"Nothing happened to your soul. It's going to be okay." And then she pulled free and using her demon magic, undid the shackles holding Emma prisoner. The angel got up, testing her sore joints and her long unused voice.

"But it's not. Cora is still here. The world is still ending," Emma said, eyes grim and heart heavy. If only she hadn't lost the sword of Gabriel, she could have used it to destroy Cora with one hit.

But wait, she had been able to call it last time she had dropped it. Would it work now? Even though it was miles away?

She concentrated and Regina gave her an odd look. "What are you doing?"

"Summoning something." She held her arm out and a shiver of power went through her as a wind blew back her tangled hair.

She could feel something racing towards her. And there it was, the sword, flying through the air in a blur of light. The weapon landed in her hands, gleaming in the dying rays of the sun. "The sword of Gabriel. Of course! That's our hope to destroying Cora," Regina said, feeling like for the first time in a long time, they had a decent chance to destroy mother.

She didn't want to put Emma in the way of harm, but only the angel could wield the blade. She would have to get Emma close to her and then let the blonde deal the final blow. "Come, let us go help Mal." This time, Regina's second form came easy and together the angel and demon pair raced towards the maelstrom of dark magic's battling.

"About time you two came," Mal grunted out as she vaporized the knives shooting out from Cora's skin at her, point up.

"We only took a minute," Regina countered, letting her new magic flare in her hands. The magic was pink and she would have scoffed at the color had she not been in need of power that could stop Cora. Emma was next to her, sword out.

"The sword of Gabriel," Cora noticed it, arching a brow. "But the only question is, are you strong enough to use it, angel?"

"Of course I am," Emma said, filled with so much hatred for this monster who wanted to destroy the whole planet and who had put Regina through so much pain. She would chop up the woman from limb to limb without regret. Any inadequacies she felt over her fighting skill was put on the back burner. She didn't care how hurt she got, as long as she killed Cora.

And so the final and greatest battle for the fate of the world began.

After sitting out on the sidelines for so long, Emma would be damned if she didn't give it her all. Regina was, and she barely had anything left in the reserves of her powers. In comparison Emma was fresh. And no matter how many times she got knocked down, she stood right back up. Though Regina did protect her from most blasts and attacks, so all Emma had were bruises and minor cuts to show for her efforts to get close enough to Cora to kill.

"We need a plan of attack," Regina called out over the fray.

"I thought our plan was to  _attack_!" Emma shouted back.

"No, Cora's the sin of wrath and war and all that, so simply fighting her won't work."

"I have an idea, but you might not like it," Mal shouted back as her staff exchanged blows with Cora's spear. The sin of wrath was letting them fight for now, just to amuse herself with the efforts of these pests, but they knew it wouldn't stay this way for long.

"I must admit, I didn't expect you to turn on me. But then again, you did always have a foolishly soft spot for Regina. I should have killed you for it," Cora barked out as an explosion hit her from Regina. It didn't even move her or send her flying like it would to a lesser demon. She gritted through the pain of it, still at war with Mal. The two of them were dancing around, leaping through the air, gliding, ducking and rolling, as Regina and Emma tried to gang up on Cora. Emma even used her own magic against her and when she landed a blow, it seemed to truly hurt the demon. Perhaps angel magic was more poignant against demon magic than demon magic was.

Maleficent ignored Cora's jibe and raising her hands up, shed her second form. If Emma had thought the woman would turn into her first form she was wrong. Regina jumped in front of the other demon to protect her as mother lashed out. She caught the blow over her abdomen, her guts spilling free. With a groan she landed to the side, clutching the organs to keep them inside. Emma hurried to her side and both watched as a green effervescent light lit up the field.

"She's turned into her energy form," Regina whispered in rapt wonder and horror. Before Cora was a flame of green glowing fire.

"What does that mean?" Emma asked, not understand the seriousness of the matter. She was more concerned about Regina's injury even though she knew it would heal in a bit.

"It's when demons revert to their most basic of structures. The purest form of themselves. And it's a very dangerous form to take. But I know what she's going to do, and she's damned stupid for it." She scrambled to her feet, still holding her spilling guts. "Mal! You stop that! Don't be stupid!"

But Mal wasn't listening or if she was, it was hard to tell through the flames. Cora too, seemed taken aback by Mal's move. The green flames leaped at her, molding themselves to her body and engulfing her in flames.

It was pure energy. Cora was wrapped in the destructive force of pure power at it's core.

Her screams were terrible. Gut wrenching and blood curling. Emma watched in horror as the woman writhed, unable to do anything. "When she weakens, head for her gut," Regina informed, not an ounce of regret for her mother's pain to be seen on her face.

Cora couldn't even use her powers against the green fire, could only run around like a headless chicken. At last the flames faded away after what seemed like an eternity, only a single ball of green fire floating away, up and up into the sky til it disappeared.

"Is she dead?" Emma asked as Regina watched with sad eyes the ball go away.

"No, she'll be fine. But she's no longer powerful," Regina shook her head. Mal had lost most of her form and her power doing this. It would take decades for her to grow back to her former level of power and Regina would make sure Mal would be properly thanked for this. "As for Cora. She will be dead soon." Her voice was dark as she said this, words dripping with menace and promise.

This was it. Emma's moment. She approached the sin with her head held high. Cora looked haggard, worn. Her skin was sunken in and though she was not scorched, she smelled of electricity and fire. She was barely standing on her two feet.

"This ends here, Cora." Anger filled Emma's chest and she drove the sword right at her. Regina watched, proud of her angel. This was it. Somehow they had done it. Defeated the odds. Bested the strongest demon. It felt unreal. But it was real. And all thanks to Mal's efforts.

But something was wrong. Emma's triumphant smile faded as Cora did not fall apart. "What-" she tried to jerk her sword free but she saw that Cora had done the old fake out move. She had trapped the blade between her side and her arm, giving it the appearance of having stabbed her.

"I was thinking about how I should destroy you. But I can't control your heart, it's even more filled with love than Regina's and I'll only hurt myself. So then I thought back to my roots. I've always been good at hating." Cora's voice was cracked and dry but still managed to put a shiver of fear down Emma's back.

"Emma!" Regina called out, wondering why the sword hadn't affected Cora. Why was Cora was still alive?

With fear in her eyes, Emma watched as Cora's nails extended and jabbed right into her left temple. Immediately she was flushed with images of hate, of anger, of destruction throughout human history. They flashed across her eyes and once done, the eyes turned red. She was possessed by the rage of Cora. Cora stumbled back at this, needing a moment to gather her powers. That move, though small, had taken a lot out of her. Mal's attack had left her more drained than she would admit.

A chill ran down Regina's spin as Emma turned to look at her, murder in her eyes and hatred for Regina etched into every single muscle of her body.

"Regina!" she hollered with the force of an army. "I fucking hate you!" And then she rushed at the demon, sword out.

* * *

This was bad. No, this was worse than bad.

Emma, on Cora's side? Along with the sword of Gabriel?

Cora knew Regina wouldn't, couldn't, hurt Emma, and that there was only so long that Regina could keep dodging her succinctly.

While Cora recovered and laughed at Regina's plight, the demon cursed her in every language she could in her mind. How could she make Emma a weapon? How could she turn her evil like this? This was a new blow. If mother had ever done anything that Regina could never forgive, turning Emma like this topped all of it.

Regina tried reasoning with Emma, but she was in a blind rage. She couldn't be reasoned with.

"Emma, stop this. This isn't you," Regina exclaimed as she jumped back, avoiding the massive sledgehammer that cracked open the wall she had been hiding behind. And to make matters worse, the sword of Gabriel wasn't just a sword. Somehow in her enraged form, Emma could turn the weapon into different instruments of pain, all deadly and pointed at Regina.

"I hate you for manipulating me! For taking me from my parents!" Emma snarled out. It seemed whatever Cora had done to her was bringing up past events and insecurities to the surface and making Emma mad.

Emma spun the weapon over her head and it turned into a whip that she threw at Regina. The demon high back flipped to avoid it and landed on top of a building. Emma bunched her legs together and jumped up there to join her, using her whip to arch through the air and smash the roof on which Regina had moved from again. "Stay still so I can kill you, you scum of the earth!"

"Emma, you love me," Regina insisted, trying to calm her down while she tried to think of a way out of this. She was running out of time. Soon mother would no longer be weakened and then she would rejoin the fight and kill them both.

"Yea, love to kill you," she snarled out and landed on the crumbling roof. Regina was on the other side but not for long. Down the whip went to hit the floor in mid motion turning into the sledgehammer again that cracked the foundation and sent them tumbling down into rubble, smashing through five floors. Emma was expecting this so she used the falling pieces of roof to jump down gracefully to the floor whereas Regina was nearly crushed under them. She got up, heaving aside the heavy rock that broke her arm. In the time it took her to do this, Emma was already on the first floor, her weapon now a spear that she used to slice at Regina from across the room.

Regina bent backwards, feeling like she was playing a deadly version of limbo, and avoided getting hurt. She snapped back up before Emma could sweep over her again and jumped onto the pillar of the building that had not been entirely destroyed by the falling debris.

It looked like Regina would have to use her love magic on Emma to make her see reason.

"And there's no way you can love me. Demons don't love. You only kill," Emma spat out. She retracted her spear and made it into a bow and arrow, firing off not only one arrow with her attack but three.

Shit, were there no ends to the forms it could take? Regina mussed as she jumped onto another pillar, using her magic to cling to it like Spider-man. The arrows struck her old pillar turning it to stone. Emma turned to face her and Regina jumped to another pillar, missing the barrage of arrows after her. As she did this she cast minor spells at Emma. This forced Emma to blow up the orbs sent at her that exploded upon the arrows making contact with them.

The explosion prevented her from being able to see where Regina had gone to. When she cleared that air, the demon was gone. She turned around to try and look for her but found she couldn't move. Regina's magic held her still.

"Let me go, you murderess!" she cried out, twisting her head to look behind her as Regina slowly approached her. The Sword of Gabriel was held back by the magic but she had a feeling it would rip through the magic containing it soon. So she had seconds to do this. Already Emma was struggling forcing her hand to shake as she controlled the pink power on her.

"I will never love you. And I never did," Emma spat as Regina came face to face with her. Those words hurt but Regina knew they weren't true. Emma loved her. Just like she loved Emma.

"You don't have to love me. Or forgive me for I've done to you. But it won't stop me from loving you." And she leaned in and kissed Emma hard. Her love magic spread from the kiss, flowing through Emma's form and infusing her with good. It washed away the evil of Cora's influences and Emma's eyes slipped closed. Regina cupped Emma's warm cheek with one hand, indulging in the kiss. When they pulled apart, eyes slowly drifting open, Regina was happy to see clarity in her lover's orbs.

"Why does my head hurt?" Emma asked, rubbing it. Regina dropped the shield and the bow and arrow turned back to a sword in Emma's hand.

"I'll tell you later. Right now we have to finish off Cora before it's too late."

"Too late for what?" Mother materialized behind Emma, looking healthy once more and at her full power. Emma sensed the woman and quickly shoved her weapon into Regina's hands as the woman behind her grabbed her and pulled her right up to her chest, like a shield.

She eyed the sword in Regina's hands.

The brunette haired demon felt wrong holding it. Like she was committing some sort of mortal sin. Which was odd for her to feel given all she had done without repent, but now wasn't the time to think of this.

"You think you can use it? You aren't worthy," Cora jeered. Only angels could effectively kill with the sword of Gabriel.

Regina vacillated, unsure what to do. What could she even do with this situation? Cora had Emma in her arms and she could kill her in the blink of an eye. She gripped the hilt with sweaty hands, holding it out. What move did she make next?

"Regina," Emma said, the wrath demon's magic holding her powerless. She could barely move and those talons were pressed to her temple, threatening to do something. A sudden idea fell into her head. Something that Granny had said not so long ago but in what now felt like a whole other timeline.

_Emma had to sit down. "So...what you're telling me is...that we're all just shaped by the human imagination?"_

_Granny peered over her glasses at Emma. "Don't worry your head too much little one. We may just be stories people tell, but that doesn't mean you have to be that. You can be whatever it is you want."_

_"Easy for you to say, you don't have to stop the apocalypse."_

_"Neither do you." Granny gave a sly smile. "You can change the narrative of your story. Of anyone's story. Even that demon of yours."_

_Emma flushed at that. "How, how do you know-"_

_"I know everything, Emma. I am the very air you breathe, the very ground you walk, the very beating of the heart, and the blood through veins."_

_Gross, I'm breathing in old lady?_ _Emma shuddered._

_"And I know that while the angels have forgotten what it is to be them, you know how it is to be you. You know what it is to be Emma Swan, free to your own wills and devices. You don't have to be constrained to a single page or word in ink. Don't forget that."_

Granny had been alluding to something massive that was going to happen. To something Emma could change. What if she wasn't the one meant to wield the sword and kill Cora? What if Regina had to do it?

"Regina," she said, trying to catch the demon's eyes. "Do it." The message was clear. Regina shook her head.

"Emma no," abject horror on her face as it all sunk in.

Emma wasn't giving her the option to back out. "I'll be fine, trust me." Because for some reason she felt she would be. She just needed Regina to believe that too.

"You won't do it," Cora gloated. "You couldn't risk killing your angel." She held Emma tighter to her body.

Seconds full of tension ticked by, Emma wordlessly imploring Regina to do it as the demon's hands shook on the blade. Cora sneered, sure in her victory. "Put the sword down, Regina and do the right thing by getting me Emma's soul."

"There is only one right thing to do," Regina said, lowering her blade with a low exhale. Cora thinks she's won and Emma's heart plummets. They wait for Regina's next words. "And that is to say, Emma, I am sorry if this hurts."

In one swift motion she lifted up the sword and impaled it right through Emma's chest, the end of it coming out of Cora's back.

Emma chokes on a harsh breath, knowing this would hurt but not expecting it to hurt this much. Cora behind her is also surprised, already choking on her own blood. Regina drives the sword deeper, face to face over Emma's shoulder to her mother.

"It looks like I was worthy." Love had changed her, made the impossible possible. She had wielded Gabriel's sword. Cora's face was growing ashen as blood covered her teeth.

"No," she whispered out. "How is it-"

She didn't get to finish, her form turning to ash and collapsing apart into a pile at Emma's feet.

But Emma still had a sword in her chest. Regina let go of it, not wanting to hurt Emma more. "Emma are you okay?" she asked, not sure what to do about it. But Emma wasn't bleeding, just hurting. "Pull it out. Hurry," she hissed and Regina grabbed the hilt and in one hard yank, drew it out. Emma's wounds closed and she patted her chest.

True to her feeling, the sword had spared her. It could not kill angels it seemed. Together they turned to look at the pile which had once been Cora, the most malignant of sins.

Now, she was no longer intimidating.

Now, she was no  _longer_.

They had won.

 


	27. All's Well That Ends Well

* * *

_It's better to know the Devil you know the devil you don't_   
_Cause wherever you go wherever you go,_   
_With the Devil you know you're never alone_

_-The Devil you Know, X Ambassadors-_

* * *

Regina had done it.

Had finally slain her mother.

Had saved Emma's soul. Protected  _her_.

And unexpectedly, saved the world as a result too.

Which was truly precedent for a demon like her.

She collapsed to her knees, ready to slumber for centuries. The sword clanked free from her hand and she felt Emma throw her arms around her from the back, burying her face in the crook of Regina's neck. Emma hugged her tight, sobbing. She couldn't believe it, yet the odds had worked with them. Cora was slain, the world was saved, and Regina was alive after all the trauma she had been put through.

Regina was so out of it, that all she could do was cling onto Emma's wrist as the angel clung onto her, murmuring "I love you's" into her flesh.

They stayed there for a while, as the rest of the world got their shit together.

The demons, sensing Cora's disappearance, let out frightened shrieks of retreat. Their queen was dead and their purpose lost. So they would go back to the deep pits of hell where they would await new instructions from their new queen and champion: Regina Mills. No longer the Evil Queen, but the Good Queen.

The Angels let out victorious cries, raising their bloodied swords and shields. A few of them chased after the retreating demons, getting a last few good swipes in.

Within half an hour of Cora's defeat, the battlefield was demon-less, with the exception of the corpses there. The city was a mess, as probably were other cities all over the world where major demon attacks had occurred, but it was the angels who remained standing last. Bloodied, hurt, on their last reserves, but victorious.

David would need to check in with his army, but for now, he was just happy to bask in the glow of winning the war and ending the apocalypse. Though he knew it wasn't them who truly made an effort or effect: they had merely held the tide back as best they could.

It was Emma. Emma who had saved them all, just like David and Mary knew she could.

Mary came up to his side and he slung an arm around her shoulder, tugging her in as he kissed her sweat drenched and grime covered forehead.

"She did it. Our little girl did it just like we believed she would," she said joyfully, already wishing to see Emma coming back so she could kiss and hug her and sing her praises. After this, there would be feasts for days, and much celebration in Emma's name.

Because the prophecy had come true and Emma had rightfully fulfilled her role.

* * *

The first thing Emma wanted to do was take a nice long bath when she got home. She helped keep Regina upright, letting the poor woman lean her weight on her. She had managed to make it this long and as soon as her mother had been killed Regina's bones turned into jelly, unable to support her weight anymore. Her feet dragged with each step and though she did not complain about it, Emma knew Regina couldn't wait to sleep.

Both of them were still in shock over what happened. Of them actually having succeeded in destroying Cora. It was a miracle.

As they tried to regroup with the angel army, Mary and David arrived in two beams of light. Emma waited for them to waft down, both of them sporting bright grinning faces. "It's over," David informed as soon as he materialized, looking ragged and sweaty. Mary was in no better state. "The world has been saved."

"Thank Satan," Regina mumbled out, this the last confirmation needed of her success and then she finally passed out, slumping in Emma's arms. The angel bent down to carry her body in her arms, worried for Regina. "We need medics. Regina's been hurt a lot."

Mary and David did not look as worried or rushed about getting Regina the help she needed, no doubt because of demon prejudices. "She's just drained," Mary said, waving a hand over the prone demon's form and getting a reading. "She's barely got any magic left in her. It's almost like she's human."

Now she seemed a bit shocked and intrigued by this. "What happened?" she asked softly.

"It's a long story. Can we just go back home?" Emma requested, impatient.

"Gladly," David said and summoned down a beam to take them back up.

* * *

Once there, Regina was taken to a medic to examine her for any permanent damages and Emma took a nice long bath. A magical one that eased the tension and soreness in her body and closed any small wounds or bruises she might have.

It relaxed her, drawing all her stresses out and in the room, enveloped with steam and warmth, it was easy to forget all the horrors she had just witnessed. To just focus on being calm and letting her mind go blank. She stayed there so long that her fingers pruned and when she got out only then was she filled with concern over Regina. Would the woman be fine? And would the world be fine? What would the angels do now?

There was a shit ton of rebuilding to do. And a lot of scared humans whose memory needed erasing.

Emma entered her room in a robe, ready to change when she jumped, seeing a familiar woman sitting on her bed covers, smiling serenely at her.

Granny had made an unexpected appearance. "You changed the narrative when no one else was brave enough," she said, smiling softly at Emma. No hello, no how good to see you, just straight to the point.

"I did the right thing," Emma said, fiddling with her robe's knot. "Nothing more and nothing less."

"But there is more to it, Emma, and your actions will have far reaching consequences."

That made Emma feel nervous. "Only good ones, I hope."

"We always do everything with the intention of it coming out good, but no one knows if the outcome will be so," Granny said cryptically. "After all the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Emma took that as meaning, who knows.

"Will you come to the celebration?" Emma asked instead. Because she was in no mood for more prophecies and proclamations of terrible things to come.

"I'm afraid I am a bit too old for such events. I can't celebrate things the way I used to. But you have fun." And with that Granny faded away.

* * *

Right after the war had ended, the angels threw a giant party up in heaven.

Emma found this distasteful. What about those who had died? Shouldn't the angels be in mourning over them, instead of gorging themselves on food?

"It is the way of our kind, Emma," David explained while he juggled ordering flowers, appetizers, and a DJ. "We celebrate life first and foremost. And then we mourn our losses. Being happy makes it easier to be sad afterwards."

Still, it didn't sit right with her. Especially the fact that she would be the one in whom this feast was thrown in honor of. In honor of her slaying the demon queen and ending the war. But she hadn't done that. Regina had.

"It's alright. I don't much care for the praise of angels," Regina had soothed Emma's worries, kissing her lightly on her forehead when Emma had informed her.

"But it's not right. I did jack shit while you took on so many enemies. You deserve to be recognized for your efforts. For your victory. Not me."

"Emma, truly, I do not mind-"

"But I do," Emma said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I won't let this stand."

Regina was too tired to argue. With her magic depleted she was almost human and she could feel all the aches and breaks where she had been broken or ripped apart. It pained her greatly and angel potions could only help a demon so much.

Regina shook her head, knowing there was no sense in arguing about such things any more. If Emma set her mind to something, then she would carry it through. Regina only hoped Emma wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

The day of the feast arrived not long after. Emma was dressed in much splendor, wearing an outfit of white with gold accents on it. On her head rested laurels. She matched the image of her father and mother who also wore laurels and white and gold clothing. An image of a picture perfect family but Emma knew they were far from it. They might be perfect but she wasn't and had no desire to be.

Regina was allowed to attend the dinner, through much of Emma's persuasion and begging and foot stomping. Though, Regina was only allowed to wear black and silver, for she was not an angel and her demon status had to be marked openly so everyone would know. And David and Mary smiled nervously upon Regina when she and Emma marched up to the table in front of the attending angels, which was raised on a dais. No doubt that this was unprecedented in angel history, for a demon to sit there among the highest, and holiest, and the angels below gossiped loudly wondering what was going on.

Mary had tried to talk Emma out of letting Regina sit here but she gave an ultimatum. Either Regina attend with them or Emma wasn't going to come at all. Mary had tried to speak sense into Emma, saying this ruined traditions and it wasn't right with the archaic laws but Emma wouldn't hear it, until Mary finally caved and let both of them join.

Even Regina had said Emma was breaking the order of the universe by requesting this, but Emma would not settle until she got her way. Maybe as Savior, she could finally rewrite the laws of balance just like she had changed the narrative of Regina's actions, allowing the demon to wield the mighty blade of Gabriel.

Regina looked nervous to be sitting up here but Emma held onto the back of her hand and held tight. She wasn't going to let this night be full of rumors and gossiping and bad mouthing her lover. She was going to make sure the demon got the recognition she deserved.

Mary and David stood from their seats, clinking a fork against their golden goblets holding ambrosia, the drink of gods and angels, apparently.

"Through much loss and pain we have clarity. We have reason for joy," Mary spoke up and a hush fell over the crowd. Food would be served after the speeches were done, and then the partying could begin. "For our own savior, our own daughter Emma Swan, has saved the world. She proved the prophecy correct."

Cheers came from the crowd at this and her parents looked on at her with such happy and proud smiles that Emma only felt a little bad for what she was going to do. And that was crush their hopes and beliefs. She stood up, raising her hands and asking for silence.

"It wasn't me who saved the world, but Regina. Regina swung the mighty sword of Gabriel and slaughtered Cora for me. I was useless the whole time," Emma said over the shocked gasps of the crowd in the banquet hall. But she stood up, head proud and ignored David's and Mary's hissed pleas of 'Stop, Emma,'. Regina too looked wide eyed at her, telling her wordlessly this was a bad idea.

"Regina was brave, and courageous, and showcased traits not that of a demon but a true hero."

Even more scandalous hisses at Emma's words, but Emma did not stop, pacing on the table on which the high angels had been eating. Cups and utensils were kicked to the ground.

"She not only fought valiantly to free me and to save my soul, but to also destroy the demons sent her way. She fought against the council of the seven sins and she was able to win. And in the meantime, all I could do was watch. Because I was useless. I had been captured and I was not the hero the story needed. If not for her, I would be dead, and the world in ruins."

"But a demon cannot wield the blade of Gabriel!" shouted out one voice from below. Emma couldn't tell who it was, but she glared mightily at the gathered and skeptical angels.

"Regina is no ordinary demon. She is more than that. For you see, her powers have been changed by love, and because of that, she was able to use the sword."

"Demon's cannot be changed by love. They aren't even capable of love!"

Anger burned in Emma's veins. Why couldn't they just accept this? Why couldn't they give Regina the praise and thanks she deserved? Emma did nothing. She was chained up the whole time while Regina had suffered abuse after abuse with the patience of an angel.

To her surprise, Mary rose to her feet. She clasped her hands together. "I will have to disagree with that statement. For in fact, I have seen it with my own eyes that Regina has been changed by love."

Emma gave her mom a look, wondering why the angel was supporting her. Her mother gave her a soft look.

"You are my daughter Emma, and though I do not know why you are doing this, I have chosen to support you," she whispered, reaching out a warm hand and placing it on her shoulder.

Shocked murmurs from the crowd came as they discussed this among themselves. No one rebutted Mary's statement and this was due to her own status as an angel of true love. Surely, if anyone knew about matters of the heart, it would be her. "I know it might seem inconceivable, and I too could not believe it at first. But, it is true and I will stand by the fact that Regina is not the same demon as before. She has changed for the better and thus it was why the sword allowed her to use it. It sensed her trying to throw away her demonic old ways and try to become a patron of light and thus allowed her to fell the queen of hell."

Regina was beginning to look uncomfortable with all this scrutiny on her.

"I agree as well," and now David stood up, lending his authority and stern booming voice. "I did not much...approve of Emma's and Regina's relationship. But, when I look at them, I see only love of the pure kind flowing between them and I think, this should not exist. Love between a demon and angel? But, my mind has been changed and I think it is time we all changed our old way of thinking. Yes, demons are still evil, but not all of them. And certainly not Regina who has sacrificed much to keep our Emma safe. She murdered her own mother, and fought her siblings, and such a sacrifice does indeed deserve a thanks."

He was blindly supporting Emma's tale, though she had only now spoken of it and it was the first he and Mary heard of it. There would be time for questions later, right now he had to show his support.

"So, this feast and the thanks, are all dedicated to Regina tonight. Not to me, but her," Emma said, grasping Regina's hand and pulling her up onto the table even as Regina hissed and fought against going there. Emma raised a chalice. "I toast to Regina."

"To Regina," Mary and David intoned and the crowd was silent for a moment, before individual voices raised a toast to Regina as well. Slowly, the sound snowballed and there were choruses of thank yous to her.

Not everyone toasted to her, that was to be expected. But as Emma watched the angels accepting Regina, at least for this moment, she felt her heart swell and she looked on at Regina who looked pleasantly surprised.

"They're thanking me. Angels, thanking a demon," she said softly and with awe.

"As they should. You're not just any ordinary demon," Emma smiled back, squeezing Regina's hand in her own as they looked out on the thousands celebrating life and victory today.

* * *

No one really paid much attention to Regina after that. They were too busy fixing up the world and so they didn't have time to be prejudiced to a demon. Especially since she decided to finally rest. And by rest, she told Emma that she didn't want to be disturbed for up to however long it took to fix everything because she needed to replenish her magic stores.

Emma complied, though she ached at the thought of such separation even as Regina was at hand's length, tucked away safely in Mary and David's angel mansion. Emma respected Regina's wishes because the woman had done so much for her, and she could live with these few months of her slumber. Though Emma did worry if Regina despised her for what she had to go through in order to save her.

"I don't. I don't hate you for it. Because I was the one who chose to save you. No one made me do it, but me," Regina had assured, placing a soft kiss on Emma's forehead before she finally laid down onto the covers and let her eyes slip closed. Soon she was encased in a bubble of yellow magic as her body began to heal.

Emma would come in from time to time to check up on Regina. To see how she was doing. She looked peaceful and so perfect. Not even a single hair on her head moved; only the deep swells and rises of her chest did, giving the only indication she was alive.

Emma would sit by Regina's side and tell her about her day before blowing her an air kiss since the bubble would not even allow her to kiss her forehead.

And Emma's days were filled with grueling labor. The angels were responsible for reconstructing the world and that was a process that inched by slowly. Firstly, there were hundreds of dead angel and demon and human bodies littering the ground. That was the first part of the clean up process. Taking the life less carcasses and burning them in giant pits of fire. Emma couldn't get the acrid stench of smoke out of her nose for weeks afterwards, even as the air finally cleared and the fires stopped burning.

Then came the memory erasure. Humans couldn't be allowed to remember this for several poignant reasons. But Emma wasn't sure how they could get everyone to forget about this. "Are we going to use those strips like the men in black did?" she asked Mary who only blinked at her in confusion. "Never mind."

What they did do was send a cleansing rain onto the earth. All the angels who weren't too gravelly injured by the war combined their efforts together to cast a huge spell that raced through every rain cloud system in the world and poured onto the cities and towns and country sides in a torrential rain that washed the humans memories of the event away and also stripped the earth of any remaining evils.

The rains were calming in a way, and they went on for a whole week before they were finally stopped. Emma watched as the water did the trick and people blearily blinked at the destruction around them, destruction they blamed on multiple natural disasters. Emma didn't know how she felt about the angels wiping away the truth of what had happened, but she decided not to question this. There was much she didn't know about how angels operated and she was too busy to spend too much time questioning such things.

Just because she was savior didn't mean she got a free pass from partaking in the heavy lifting. With her angel strength she carried new pillars and beams and tons of cement that could be used to repair the cities and towns that had been decimated. Naturally, the angels couldn't do all of it, but the things they could do without arising suspicious, they did. Roads and houses were repaired as if by magic over night and the humans came up with many theories for it, none which were close in answer to the truth.

And while the angels worked, the humans did their part too in repairing all that had been lost. The fissures from hell closed up on their own and nature began to blossom once more as spring began to erupt in bright healthy colors.

It wasn't until six months had passed that the earth's scars began to heal and order was once more restored as life continued marching forwards. And it was finally time to awaken Regina. Emma went to the special and hidden room where the restoring demon was housed and with a light poke of her forefinger, popped the bubble around her.

With it gone, the light from it disappeared and lent the room into darkness for the curtains were drawn even as it was day outside. Nothing happened at first, but then Regina stirred, her fingers twitching and mouth opening to release a long yawn as she slowly opened her eyes. She looked up Emma's face and a small smile tugged up her lips. "So, how long has it been?" she asked in a groggy voice.

"Only six months, sleeping beauty," Emma joked, and her heart finally felt like it was coming together. Like the aching hole where Regina was, was finally filled.

"I hope I didn't miss too much," Regina said as she sat up, stretching her arms above her head. Her aches and pains were all gone.

"How do you feel?"

"Refreshed. Absolutely amazing. I needed that nap. But now," at this Regina leaned in a bit closer as her arms circled up on Emma's shoulders and tugged her in closely. "I need you."

* * *

They didn't know what to do with themselves. Now that there were no demons to fight, no destiny to grow into, and no world to save...they were left floating and adrift in a huge sea of possibilities.

"We can literally do anything we want," Emma said. "But what?" Together they had so much magic and time to do anything they could imagine or even desire.

"First, I was thinking we should get settled down. Get our own place to call home. While I enjoy traveling through dimensions with you, I want a stable place."

"A demon? Settling down?" Emma laughed into the crook of Regina's neck. They were cuddling naked under the covers, putting Regina's new found energy levels to the test after all these months. They had broken the bed twice and had to fix it before continuing.

"We don't have to if you don't want to-" Regina said as Emma pulled away to look into uncertain brown eyes.

"I do. I really do want to," she said softly. Finally, she would have a place to belong, truly. And someone to belong there with. For while heaven is supposed to be Emma's home, it lacks that feeling to her because she knows Regina isn't at home here and if Regina isn't entirely welcome or comfortable being here, than neither will Emma. She can already imagine them together in a suburban setting, living the suburban dream. Where there will be dinners together and sitting out on the porch until the late hours and maybe even having cook outs with the neighbors.

"Then let's do it," Regina smiled, letting her fingers intertwine with Emma's. "Let's live together."

"Forever," Emma breathed out, as they let their lips join in a tender kiss.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This isn't the end just yet. There's an epilogue coming up.


End file.
